須田国太郎
農村展望(小諸風景)
1934(昭和9)年　油彩・カンヴァス　59.0×90.0cm

Kunitaro Suda
Nōson Tenbō (Komoro Landscape)
1934 (Showa 9), Oil on canvas, 59.0 × 90.0 cm

みはるかす山々の向こうに夏の雲が湧き立ち、眼下には山影が広がります。影には緑や赤など色が重層的に塗られ、これらの色彩に気づくと山々が夏の光にいっそう輝くようです。

本作は須田国太郎が1934(昭和9)年夏、長野県小諸附近を訪ねたときに描かれました。小諸は北東に浅間山を抱える標高約600メートル以上の高地で、主に浅間山からの火砕流台地と、千曲川などによる洪積台地からなっています。火山と河川が長い年月をかけて生み出した雄大な風景を、須田はひとときの夏の光が織り成す明暗の対比で捉えています。遠くの山に見える家並みは、大地の中に生きる人々の生活を浮かび上がらせるかのようです。

Beyond the distant mountains, summer clouds rise, and shadows spread out below. The shadows are layered with colors such as green and red, and noticing these colors makes the mountains shine even more in the summer light.

This work was painted by Kunitaro Suda in the summer of 1934 when he visited the area around Komoro in Nagano Prefecture. Komoro is a highland area with an elevation of about 600 meters or more, embracing Mount Asama to the northeast. It mainly consists of pyroclastic flow plateaus from Mount Asama and alluvial plateaus formed by rivers such as the Chikuma River. Suda captures the majestic landscape created by the volcano and rivers over many years, using the contrast of light and shadow woven by the summer light. The houses visible on the distant mountains seem to highlight the lives of people living within the land.