In 1984, a 45-minute TV program spotlighted a Japanese painter who never had a solo exhibition when he was alive. Now, a quarter-century later and following a period of interest in the artist, the name of Isson Tanaka is again at risk of fading into obscurity.

"His name isn't very well known among younger people, which is pretty hard to believe for anybody who remembers how popular he was," said Tomoko Matsuo, a curator at Chiba City Museum of Art, which is currently holding an exhibition of Tanaka's works.

It is hard to categorize Tanaka (1908-1977), whose real name was Takashi Tanaka. Although regarded as a child prodigy, his life as a painter never flowered into success or acceptance at mainstream competitions by Japan's art world.

He died at the age of 69 while living on Amamioshima island, Kagoshima Prefecture, where he spent the final two decades of his life working on tropical-themed paintings reminiscent of Henri Rousseau's, works that later became his trademark style.

The 1984 NHK program, which was rerun just a month later, suddenly brought nationwide attention to the largely unknown painter.

Soon after the show was aired, a solo exhibition was organized and was taken to 10 cities. The popularity of Tanaka's work continued to grow, leading to a string of related books. By 1997, the exhibition had been seen in 36 cities.

"Tanaka's paintings made an impression on so many people, but if we didn't properly revisit his works now, he'd only be forgotten again. We felt the need to introduce him to people who know nothing about the painter and compile accurate information into a reliable catalog that can be used for future reference," Matsuo said.

The exhibition features about 180 paintings, 50 sketches and 18 items, such as personal effects--including his twin-lens reflex camera. About 100 of the items are being shown for the first time.

This exhibition, however, does not include a number of letters by the artist.

"In past exhibitions, visitors used to crowd around to read his letters. Though there is a certain appeal to them, they also were a tool the artist used to dramatize himself. So, for this exhibition, we decided to concentrate on his art," Matsuo said, adding that Tanaka wrote a few things that were later discovered to be less than truthful.

The latest exhibition comprises three sections based on where he lived: Tokyo (1908-1938), Chiba (1938-1958) and Amamioshima (1958-1977).

The quality of his work is overwhelming from the very start, with a tanzaku poem titled Firefly (1915) that Tanaka created when he was only 7 years old.

As a young artist, he experimented with a variety of painting styles, including the Chinese southern school. His talent will be apparent to anyone.

Tanaka entered Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko--now Tokyo University of the Arts--but dropped out only two months later, likely due to bad health and financial hardship. He later felt Tokyo to have been a dark period in his career. However, Matsuo said that, based on the quality and quantity of his art work, Tanaka's time in Tokyo gave him the confidence he needed.

The Tokyo section includes many paintings being shown for the first time.

According to the curator, some of these paintings were unearthed from private collectors who were unaware the works were by Tanaka, as he painted under other names before finally settling on Isson Tanaka.

At the age of 30, Tanaka, with his two sisters and grandmother, moved to Chiba where a relative lived. The relative had been financially supporting him following his parents' death.

While employed as a sheet-metal worker, he continued to paint. Tanaka never had a painting teacher, and therefore no real connection to the art world. He instead focused on producing works for a small number of supporters.

In the Tokyo section of the exhibition, there is a selection of works that had been submitted to competitions, including White Flowers (1947), which was chosen for the Seiryu Exhibition.

After failing to make an impression at these competitions, Tanaka headed south to the Kyushu region, where he came across the scenery that inspired a move further south, to Amamioshima.

Until this point, he had been exploring various painting methods before eventually finding on the island his own style, which is on display in the third section.

The exhibition rooms in the Amamioshima section are completely different from those of the other two. It is as if his abundance of talent and works showcased in the first two sections had been concentrated into the colors and lines in the works created on the island.

The leaves of sago palm, the colors of screw pine, wildflowers, butterflies and the sea of Amamioshima are so intimidating that they are initially difficult to approach. Before long, they become captivating.

"After moving to the island, his attitude toward painting changed," the curator said. "He was no longer as concerned with painting to make money. He wanted to be able to, at the end of his life, look back and be satisfied with his career as an artist."

The tale of a child prodigy who dies in obscurity is surely tragic. But the mixed feelings of admiration for his earlier works and sympathy regarding his life that are conveyed in the first two sections disappear in the last section.

It is only in this final phase of his life that it becomes clear the level of excellence he eventually achieved, and that his artistic career until that point had only consisted of the painter finding his voice.

Despite the artist's sparse success in competitions while he was alive and his momentary fame after his death, another plunge into obscurity for Isson Tanaka would be a loss for the artistic history of Japan.

"Isson Tanaka: Aratanaru Zenbo," until Sept. 26 at Chiba City Museum of Art, a 5-minute walk from Yoshikawakoen Station on the Chiba Toshi monorail. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays). Closed on Sept. 6. For more information, call (043) 221-2311,

or visit www.ccma-net.jp

(Aug. 27, 2010)