Kiyokata Kaburagi (1878-1972)
'Girl with Poppies'
This large dai-oban size woodblock print depicts a stunningly beautiful young woman standing with Poppy blossoms on either side of her. Kiyokata first produced this print as a frontispiece (kuchi-e) for a literary magazine in 1910. Kuchi-e prints were foldout prints placed at the front of Japanese literary magazines in the 1890s to about 1910s. The influence of the Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts movements is apparent in the imagery, with a stencil-like effect in the Poppy blossoms. The maiden's features offer a more westernized presentation in her features, simply a beautiful image. Kiyokata was a great master of paintings of beautiful women in modern Japan, along with contemporaries Shoen Uemura and Shinsui Ito, two other giants in portraiture art. This scarce print was issued in a small limited edition in 1970 during a surge in interest for kuchi-e imagery of women from the early twentieth century, all while Kiyokata was still alive to see it. The print bears its artist cipher and seal. It is in excellent original condition. The print size with full margins measures 16.5" x 11". It is matted in ivory and housed in a black frame measuring 19" x 15".   
P84317               $695.00
 
Kiyokata Kaburagi was born in Kanda, Tokyo, in 1878. He was mentored by Mizuno Toshikata, an ukiyo-e painter, and exhibited works at exhibitions such as the Bunten. When the Teiten Exhibition was established in 1919, he was appointed juror. He was a member of Geijutsuin (1923) art group and Teikoku Geijutsuin (1929) art group. He is also known for his elegantly flowing essays about days gone by. He received the Order of Cultural Merit in 1954. Kiyokata Kaburagi was a great artist of Nihonga - traditional Japanese painting. But he was even more influential as an art teacher and promoter of the Shin Hanga movement. Kaburagi had trained such Shin Hanga giants like Hasui Kawase, Ito Shinsui and Shiro Kasamatsu. A great master of paintings of beautiful women in modern Japan, along with Shoen Uemura and Shinsui Ito . His real name is Kenichi. His father was the founder of the Yamato Shimbun, Taigiku Jono. He became a disciple of Toshikata Mizuno and started drawing illustrations for newspapers and magazines around the age of 16. In 1901, he formed Ugokai with Dora Yamanaka and others to join the new art movement. As he had a deep relationship with literary figures, he had a deep knowledge of literature, leaving behind many excellent works such as Shimazaki Toson's "Hakai", Kikuchi Yuho's "Yuriko", and illustrations for Izumi Kyoka's works. From around 1907, he continued to work mainly at the Bunten and Teiten exhibitions, and in 1927 he released his masterpiece "Tsukiji Akashicho". He served as a member of the Teiten Nihonga Judging Committee (1919), a member of the Imperial Art Academy (1929), and an Imperial Household Artist (1944).