Takehisa Yumeji

竹久 夢二 Takehisa Yumeji, September 16, 1884 – September 1, 1934

Takehisa Yumeji - Japanese poet and painter. Takehisa died in 1934 at the age of 49.

He did not study drawing in any painting school nor under any teacher formally. His drawings were regarded as unorthodox and were largely ignored in the painting circles of his day. He was also a talented illustrator for magazines, book cover design, music score covers, made woodblock prints and designed kimono patterns, becoming a pioneer in Japan's commercial art. He lived quite a lonely life, left Japan in 1931 for the USA and Europe, and died soon after his return.

"Kite" - Book cover 1928