YAZAKI Chiyoji (b.1872, Yokosuka, Japan - d.1947, Beijing, China) played a key role in the reception and development of pastel medium in Asia. He not only excelled in this medium as a practitioner, but he was also involved in the production of the first domestically-made pastel in Japan. Between 1903 and 1947, Yazaki spent most of his time as an itinerant artist travelling across continents, including Singapore (1922, 1926 and 1932-1933) and Java (1934), to capture what he called “a snapshot of a moment” using pastel, and to which his peers described as “kinetic sketch”. Yazaki's deepest encounter with Southeast Asia took place in 1934, when he spent approximately 6 months travelling across Java and its vicinity, accompanied by the young S. Sudjojono, who later referred to Yazaki as his mentor. This pastel drawing is a rare record of the extended encounter with the region by a modern Japanese artist.
