SAITO Kohei, painter and tender teacher on art and life 2012

SAITO Kohei, painter and tender teacher on art and life

TANAKA Akio

​Long time ago of my age 20s, when I talked with SAITO Kohei age 40s, painter of my colleague at high school, I asked him, “Which painter do you like best?”
He immediately answered “It’s Grunewald, do you know the painter?” At that time I did not know on this famous painter anymore. Probably feeling pitiful, soon after he brought me a book on the painter and showed me the famous The Crucifixion.
In those days I was an unskilled  high school teacher and he was also an art teacher of the same school.  He taught me the various things on art, literature and the way of living for researching own precious theme. At that time I had learned writing language mainly focused to Chinese old inscription on tortoise carapaces.
I frequently had visited his art study room and drank coffee being made from him. At one time, he let me take my portraits spending several days. Drawing the portraits, he said that contrary to my image I had a lean face. He was always gentle and took care of me.
Several years later, I left school teacher and again started study at a university to deepen the philological bases. He also stopped teaching at the school and devoted himself  to painting and lived apart from me at Yokohama.
In 2010 I heard the alumina of the school, he died by disease.  I loved him so much and truly thanked him for his tender and wider kindness to my poor and immature young time.
Tokyo
18 May 2012
8 January 2013 added
Sekinan Research Field of Language