Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Meguro Museum of Art's opening, the exhibition "The Beginnings of Pastel Painting in Japan: Focusing on Two Pioneers, Tsurunosuke Takeuchi and Chiyoji Yazaki" will be held from October 14th to November 26th.

Pastels are made from solidified rods of pigment-based materials. When applied, they turn to powder and only settle on the paper base. This gives them two major characteristics: beautiful, direct color reproduction for both primary and intermediate colors, and rapid drawing with no drying time. The appeal of pastel colors, such as their beautiful, rich, neutral colors and unique texture, which sometimes evoke a sense of transience, is well known to the general public, and the term "pastel colors" has become established. However, their inherently diverse possibilities, which sometimes surpass even oil painting, have not been widely recognized, and they are often confused with more common art materials derived from pastels and popular for educational purposes. This exhibition focuses on two modern Japanese painters, Yazaki Chiyoji and Takeuchi Tsurunosuke, who were captivated by this "little-known medium," one of the art materials introduced during the Meiji period, and left behind a prolific body of work. Takeuchi utilized rich, delicate colors in meticulous works, while Yazaki used quick sketches to depict vibrant scenes from around the world. While their approaches to pastel differ, the diverse expressions they each produced through their extensive research and exploration clearly demonstrate the breadth and depth of the pastel medium. The two artists' unique endeavors, their involvement in the promotion of pastels, and Yazaki's particularly deep involvement in the domestic production of pastels, offer fascinating examples of modern Japanese artists adapting imported materials and methodologies to their own unique style. These two artists, who lived roughly the same era, have been featured in museums in the past (including Takeuchi Tsurunosuke's retrospective, "Pastel Monologue," held at the Meguro Museum of Art in 1993), and are admired by collectors and other art enthusiasts. However, despite the rapid development of "modern Japanese Western painting" since the Meiji era, the appeal of these artists and their works has remained largely unknown to this day, which overlaps with the history of the art medium itself in Japan. This exhibition aims to rediscover the little-known art medium of pastel and the artistic careers of these two artists, both beloved by their contemporaries.