“Kyoto portraits 100“ is a collection of paintings made by Yann Le Gal in 2013 and 2014. These portraits are of Kyoto prefecture residents who agreed to participate in this project, all of whom he met with his spouse and collaborator, Mayphy Miho Higashi.

The work is a collection of one hundred portraits painted in acrylic on plywood panels (180 x 90 centimetres,thickness 1,5 centimetres).

The project "Kyoto portraits 100", developed by Yann Le Gal and Mayphy Miho Higashi was born from their common desire to create a generous, ambitious and major work. The execution of this project allowed them to meet and involve one hundred people who agreed to sit for the portraits. People of all ages, of different social status, and differing backgrounds were approached for their participation in the project. These are the people of Kyoto, the men, the women and the children of our time, at work, pursuing their occupations, and taking their leisure.

The portraits were painted in a natural setting, which emphasised an exchange and communication between the artist and the models. The first sessions occurred in the painterʼs studio. It was soon evident that it was necessary to leave the "neutral" space of the studio, and meet and portray the subjects in settings familiar to them, at home or the workshop, which would then partially reveal their private lives and their personality. Most of the paintings were executed in Kyoto City. Yann Le Gal and Mayphy Miho Higashi also visited different places in Kyoto prefecture, such as Ine-cho, Kyotamba, Minami Yamashiromura and Kizugawa, providing them with unique and original experiences, which transformed this pictorial project into a genuine human adventure.

Due to the topic and its implementation, this work appears to follow early modern art, as a disguised tribute to the works of Degas and Manet. The painter, armed with the tools of painting—plywood, brushes and colours—leaves the studio to discover the world and meet its people with the intention of capturing a specific moment, the atmosphere and energy of life that imbue an instant. Each portrait was rapidly completed, from under two hours to four hours at most, with the intention of keeping the freshness and spontaneity of a first draft.

These meetings were not only devoted to the creation of paintings. A register containing photographs and interviews by Mayphy Miho Higashi communicate the painting process, and also provide information on the lives of these people. These archives are an inherent part of the collection.