Kamisaka Sekka originally trained as a painter but it was as a print designer that he achieved a far greater originality
He developed his unique style from studying the Rimpa masters of the 18th and 19th centuries
These artists looked beneath the surface of immediate realism and attempted to portray the essential elements of the subject from a design point of view
1866 born in Kyoto on 12 January
1881 begins studies under Suzuki Zuigen
1888 begins studies under Kishi Kokei
1890 wins first of numerous prizes (Kyoto Art Exposition)
1894 marries Onomura Tei and settles for a life in the upper echelons of Kyoto's artistic establishment.
1899-1900 Sekka produced his first masterpiece of print design : Chigusa (A Thousand Grasses)
1901 travels to Europe to visit the Glasgow Exposition
1910 Sekka produces his last masterpiece of Rimpa design : Momoyogusa
(A World of Things)
Fifty years after the death of Kamisaka Sekka in 1942, an exhibition celebrating his life and work was admired in Japan and the USA : Kamisaka Sekka: Rimpa Master ~ Pioneer of Modern Design
