Background
Oka Shikanosuke was born in 1898. He was the son of Onitaro Oka, a noted drama critic and playwright.
Oka Shikanosuke was born in 1898. He was the son of Onitaro Oka, a noted drama critic and playwright.
At the age of 14 while attending Azabu junior high school, Oka studied under the well-known Western-style painter Okada Saburosuke (1869-1939). After graduation he left for France, the "world capital of art."
Oka’s long stay in France was instrumental in forming his artistic style and he was most influenced by the French naïve Post-Impressionist painter Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) whose work he would later help to popularize in Japan. Much of Oka’s work can be seen as a tribute to Rousseau, whose "poetic sentiment" he incorporated.
In 1940 Oka became a member of the Salon d' Automne and Shuny-kai Art Society.
(1872-1943)
