The Art of Kozu

To an artist such as Kozu, the muddy vulgarity of detail was prized above all else . . . a genius when it came to painting women, he went against the grain of Japanese art, painting from life, from observation rather than memory and imagination. He had no compunction in using people, whether servants or lovers, to set his scenes, no fear of dissection or execution. His paintings testify to a criminal indifference.

With the war over, interest is renewed in the art of Yuichiro Kozu - a figure loved and lauded by some, hated and reviled by others. Can the truth really be understood from a painting, or is a story also required . . . ?