From Oriental art he took the typical curved line and the black-and-white contrasts. His motifs--birds, animals, plants--are also often from the Oriental tradition. On the other hand, his use of light and shadow is clearly from Western art. |
One day he was on the tram in Kyoto as it went past the temple. As he briefly saw the pagoda, a very special light shone on it, and he made this mental image that he later set down on canvas. |