Kamisaka Sekka

Kamisaka Sekka brought the Rinpa style of old Kyoto into the twentieth century. His designs use bold, flat areas of colour, strong outlines and simple forms, with a playful, modern sense of pattern.

Born in Kyoto, he trained in traditional painting and in 1901 was sent to Glasgow by the Japanese government to study design, where he saw the Art Nouveau style. Back in Japan he taught at the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts and designed lacquer, textiles and ceramics. His most famous work is Momoyogusa (A World of Things), a three-volume series of sixty woodblock prints published around 1909 and 1910.

Autumn Leaves and Beach Netting show his fresh colour and graphic design.