Uemura Shōen

In this episode we discuss the career of Meiji era Japanese artist Uemura Shōen (1875 –1949) born in Kyoto she pursued artistic training from the age of 12, partly due to the support of her mother. From there she would have a highly successful career and became known for her paintings of beautiful women and her illustrations of scenes from Noh Plays. However, Uemura lived an unconventional life and did not adhere to the strict gender roles of Japanese society, even causing a stir when she had two children out of wedlock, the father of which was suspected to be her teacher. This is an interesting story about how one incredibly driven and creative woman was able to overcome social stigma to achieve immense respect in her chosen field, which equalled that of her male counterparts. 
I hope you enjoy this episode and apologise for my ropey voice, which is still not quite back to normal after recent thyroid surgery.

Images
Instagram @themuseumoffemininty 

Sources
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-inspiring-story-of-uemura-sh%C5%8Den/mwXxZujHMzKwGw?hl=en
https://www.domestika.org/en/blog/8672-uemura-shoen-the-inspiring-story-of-japan-s-first-female-professional-painter
Japanese art by Joan Stanley-Baker
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2019/05/28/arts/openings-outside-tokyo/bijin-ga-world-fine-feminine-beauty/
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/829412