100 years ago a very special painting was unveiled at the prestigious 7th Imperial Art Exhibition held at the newly established Tokyo Prefectural Art Museum (known today as the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum). This painting instantly garnered widespread critical acclaim.
The artwork in question was titled “Piano”—although it is now most frequently referred to in Western art literature as “At the Piano” or “Lady at Piano”. The artist was Nakamura Daizaburō.
This stunning painting, created in 1926, is considered one of the most iconic masterpieces of modern Japanese art. It takes the form of a four-panel folding silk screen (byōbu), and measures 185.2 x 162.8 cm.
At its centre, a young woman—modelled by the artist’s wife (possibly still fiancée), Tsuyuko—sits in a formal, long-sleeved kimono (furisode), her hands poised over the keys of a grand piano.
Rather than showing a typical room setting, the background is a soft flat gold leaf wash—traditional for folding screen artworks. Nakamura includes a standard lamp in the image, which implies a modern albeit affluent domestic setting.
The painting is important for several reasons. It is a clear statement that Japan was, in 1926, embracing Western influences. This ass the Taishō era, a time when centuries of Japanese tradition were mixing with dynamic Western ideas.
The painting reflects two traditional art forms— Nihonga and Bijin-ga. Nihonga employs the classical techniques of using natural mineral pigments and gold leaf on a silk covered folding screen. Bijin-ga paintings typically depict beautiful women playing musical instruments such as the koto or shamisen. However, by the 1920s the piano had become the preferred instrument for Japanese women to learn before marriage, superseding the koto.
Western Influences
In this painting the woman is wearing traditional Japanese attire, with the fabrics spectacularly rendered by Nakamura. However the sleek black piano she is playing is an Ant. Petrof grand, and on the music desk in front of her sits sheet music written by 19th-century German composer Robert Schumann. The piece is Träumerei (Reverie), a movement from his 1838 piano cycle Kinderscenen. Nakamura painstakingly copied out the exact notes.
Ant. Petrof is today the premium brand of Czech-based Petrof Pianos. The company exported pianos to Japan throughout the Taishō period. “Ant.” refers to Antonín [Petrof] who founded the company in 1864. These pianos conferred high social status on their owners.
Nakamura’s choice of instrument, the selection of Schumann’s sheet music, and the elegant electric floor lamp were clearly intended to highlight a bridge between Japanese and Western cultures.
Cultural Changes
This cultural openness was short-lived. The Taishō era concluded in December 1926 with the emperor’s death, ushering in the Shōwa era marked by rising militarism and anti-Western sentiment. Critics contended that Western materialism eroded traditional Japanese spiritual values. Nakamura’s painting serves as a final serene snapshot of this historic turning point.
Nakamura Daizaburō (1898-1947) was the son of a Kyoto kimono dyer. He graduated from the Kyoto School of Painting. His early life gave him intimate knowledge of textiles, dyes, and textures, which can clearly be seen in his paintings. These initially depicted aspects of everyday life, before moving on to themes of modern women and Noh plays.
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Piano firsthand by visiting Kyoto City’s Kyocera Museum of Art , where Nakamura’s iconic painting is currently on display.