鹿児島に生まれ、18歳で法律を学ぶためにフランスへ留学しました。ところがパリで画家ラファエル・コランに学び、画家の道へ進みます。帰国後、外の光を感じさせる明るい色の油絵を日本に広め、東京美術学校で多くの画家を育てました。のちに妻となる金子種子（照子）をモデルに、箱根の芦ノ湖で描いた《湖畔》は重要文化財です。
Kuroda was born in Kagoshima. At 18, he went to France to study law. But in Paris he studied with the painter Raphaël Collin and chose art instead. Back in Japan, he spread a bright style of oil painting full of outdoor light, and he trained many artists at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. Lakeside, painted at Lake Ashi in Hakone, is an Important Cultural Property. The model was Kaneko Tane (later called Teruko), who later became his wife.
