Portrait of Mrs. F. - Yasui Sotaro

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Yasui Sotaro’s Portrait of Mrs. F, painted in 1939, vividly combines western influence with traditional Japanese motifs through the use of opposing color pallets for different aspects of the painting, as well as differing line qualities and application of paint. The saturated colors used for the figure are greatly contrasted by the muted pallet utilized for the background. The bright red of the woman’s hat set directly against the dulled golden color of the background is just one example. Although, in actuality, the color differences may not be as extreme as they appear, their appearance directly next to one another requires the viewer to compare two colors they may not otherwise combine within the same setting. Thus, the contrast between the figure and the background is greatly exaggerated by the use of opposing color pallets. This contrast also serves to push the figure forward into the foreground, and the figure appears to come forward from the picture frame. Also, the line quality used for the figure is much more defined than the background, which appears rather vague, as if seen through an out of focus camera. Due to the fuzziness of the background, it appears to be flat. One has a sense that there should be a corner of the room somewhere behind the figure, however the ambiguous space makes it impossible to define exactly where that corner might be. The woman, on the other hand, seems much more three dimensional, although some areas, due to excessive patterning, do flatten out some as well. Generally, however, the pinstripes of the suit help to generate the illusion of the figure as a volume by tracing the contours of her shape. All of these differences between the figure and her surroundings culminate in the realization that the wall behind her is decorated with traditional Japanese patterning while she is dressed in a western-style suit.

-Linnea Bjerknes