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Oka, Shikanosuke
(b Tokyo, 2 July 1898; d Tokyo, 28 April 1978). Japanese painter and writer. In 1919 he entered the department of Yoga (Western-style) painting at the Tokyo School of Fine Art. He went to France after his graduation in 1924 and painted in Paris until his return to Japan in 1939, submitting works to such exhibitions as the Salon d’Automne. In Paris he met Tsuguharu Fujita, as well as other painters of the Ecole de Paris. During this time he taught himself the technique of oil painting, which he had been unable to do in Japan. He was influenced by the compositions of the numerous classical paintings that he encountered in Paris and also by Fauvism and the tranquil, poetic works of such artists as Odilon Redon and Henri Rousseau. As a result of these experiences, at this time Oka initiated a circle of Japanese Western-style painting that continued after World War II. In 1940, after his return to Japan, he became a member of the Spring Season Society (Shunyokai), and following World War II he became a central member of the society, with which he exhibited annually until his death. Such post-war paintings as Power Plant in the Snow (1956, Tokyo, Bridgestone Mus. A.) demonstrate a rich lyricism combined with an intellectually rigorous use of a disciplined palette and compact composition. In 1972 he received the Order of Cultural Merit. Oka also wrote on oil painting and on other artists.
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