Harue Koga

An avant-garde Western-style painter from the late Taisho to early Showa periods. Born on June 18, 1895, as the eldest son of the head priest of Zenpukuji Temple in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture. His real name was Yoshio. In 1912 (Taisho 1), he moved to Tokyo to study at the Taiheiyo Art Association Institute, and the following year entered the Japan Watercolor Institute where he studied under Ishii Hakutei. In 1912, he became a monk, changed his name to Ryosho, and adopted the nickname Harue. The following year, he entered the University of Religion (the precursor to Taisho University), but dropped out due to illness to concentrate on painting, and became a member of the Japan Watercolor Association. In 1922, he exhibited "Burial" and other works at the Nikakai, receiving the Nika Prize and attracting attention. In the same year, he formed "Action" with other young avant-garde artists from the Nikakai, including Nakagawa Kigen, and produced Cubist works. In 1926, he became a member of the Nikakai, and from this time he was influenced by Klee and began to move towards a poetic, fantasy style of painting. He further incorporated the influences of De Chirico and Ernst, and established a surrealist style of painting, as seen in works such as "The Sea" and "A Simple Moonlit Night," which he exhibited at the Nikaten Exhibition in 1929 (Showa 4). He became a member of the Nikakai in the same year. He experimented with new styles of poetry, and in his later years he became friends with Yasunari Kawabata. He died on September 10, 1933.

[Tadao Ogura]

"Harue Koga - Art and Pathology" by Yoshikazu Nakano (1977, Kongo Publishing)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

大正後期から昭和初期の前衛洋画家。明治28年6月18日、福岡県久留米(くるめ)市の善福寺住職の長男として生まれる。本名亀雄(よしお)。1912年（大正1）上京して太平洋画会研究所に学び、翌年日本水彩画研究所に入り石井柏亭(はくてい)に師事する。15年僧籍に入り良昌と改名し、呼び名を春江とする。翌年宗教大学（大正大学の前身）に入学するが、病気で中退して画作に専念し、日本水彩画会会員となる。22年二科会に『埋葬』ほかを出品、二科賞を受けて注目され、同年中川紀元(きげん)ら二科会の若手前衛作家と「アクション」を結成し、キュビスム系の作品を発表した。26年二科会会友となり、このころからクレーの影響を受け詩的幻想画風に移っていく。さらにデ・キリコ、エルンストらを取り入れて、29年（昭和4）の二科展に出品した『海』『素朴な月夜』などにみるシュルレアリスム画風を確立するに至った。同年二科会会員となる。新感覚の詩作を試み、晩年は川端康成(やすなり)と親交があった。昭和8年9月10日没。

［小倉忠夫］

『中野嘉一著『古賀春江――芸術と病理』（1977・金剛出版）』

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