Taikan Yokoyama

Taikan Yokoyama

Taikan Yokoyama was a leading figure in the Japanese art world during the Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa eras. He played a pivotal role in modernising Nihonga (Japanese-style painting) while preserving its traditional essence. After graduating from the Tokyo Fine Arts School, he co-founded the Japan Art Institute (Nihon Bijutsuin) with Okakura Tenshin and Hishida Shunsō, striving to preserve and develop Japanese art in a new era. Yokoyama pioneered the "Mōrōtai" (hazy style), a technique that minimised contour lines and emphasised atmospheric depth by blending traditional Nihonga techniques with Western artistic principles.