“The 1940s and 1950s were a pivotal time for sōsaku hanga, the “creative prints” movement in Japan. Artists who had been trained primarily as oil painters turned to traditional woodblock printing to give full expression to their often somber images. Some of the most haunting portraits produced in Japan were created in this era, and they speak to the effort these artists made to imbue their subjects with a depth and psychological nuance entirely new to the medium.
This exhibition features the work of two such artists, Onchi Kōshirō (1891–1955) and Saitō Kiyoshi (1907–1997).”
Modern Japanese Portraits – Until July 1, 2018
AIC / The Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Il