Self-portrait

Object Details

• Artist

  Kohno Michisei (1895-1950)

• Sitter

  Kohno Michisei (1895-1950)

• Label

  Kohno Michisei, seen here at twenty-two, presents himself in a pose modeled on Western Renaissance master Albrecht Durer's (1471-1528) self-portrait produced in 1500.

  Between 1914 and 1924 a remarkable quantity of high-quality portraiture was produced by Japanese artists who blended Western and East Asian painting traditions. While some of these painters had first-hand knowledge of Western painting, most, like Michisei, culled their images from books and magazines. The young artist was raised in an environment filled with powerful iconic images. His father was a portrait photographer, an artist in both Japanese and Western modes, and an active member of the Russian Orthodox Church. These influences are readily apparent in this self-portrait. Michisei's perceptive understanding of classic Western images was based on constant perusal of his father's extensive library; a portrait's potential for psychological and spiritual impact was impressed on him through exposure to religious icons used in the Orthodox liturgy.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Connecting Stories at the National Museum of Asian Art (April 29, 2023 - ongoing)

  Facing East: Portraits from Asia (July 1 to September 4, 2006)

  Michisei Kohno who depicted Taisho-realism (December 12, 1998 to January 17, 1999)

• Origin

  Tokyo, Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Shuntatsu Kohno and the Kohno family in memory of their father

• Type

  Painting

• On View

  Sackler Gallery 26: Connecting Stories at the National Museum of Asian Art

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1910s

• Name

  Kohno, Michisei

• Place

  Tokyo, Japan

• Topic

  Art, Self-portraits, Japanese Art, Portraits, Taisho era (1912 - 1926)

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings

• On View

  Yes