IWATE MUSEUM OF ART

      With advancing technology in the 1900s photography became easier for Japanese people that they started taking and appreciating photographs as enjoyment. Some photographers modeled its expression after painting, aiming to make a photograph as a work of art, rather than its original role as a record. Their works were called "art photography". In the 1920s art photography became popular throughout Japan and not a few photographers competed with one another.

      During the pre-war years, Kara Takeshi (1902-1990, Iwate prefecture) was a leading figure in the Iwate’s art photography world. His work sublimates an ordinary scene into an impressive one making good use of his modern sense and skillful composition.

      This is the first full-scale retrospective to introduce the world of Kara’s art by displaying more than 100 works. The works by leading art photographers such as Fuchikami Hakuyo of Kobe, and the works by Iwate’s photographers who shared same time with Kara will also be exhibited together as to unveil the age when art photography flourished in Iwate.