Lot 173
Kiyoshi Saito (Japanese, 1907-1997). "Buddha Asyura (D)" color woodblock, 1959. Signed in black under artist's red seal in image on lower right. Saito was a sosaku hanga artist, hence his compositions were self-drawn, self-carved, and self-printed. While his early works demonstrate a keen attention to realism and three-dimensionality, in time Saito's style evolved, becoming more flat and two-dimensional, presenting bold designs with strong color and refined texture that aligned with the mid-century modern aesthetic as we see in this example. Size (sight view): 15" L x 20.5" W (38.1 cm x 52.1 cm) Size (frame): 24.75" L x 31" W (62.9 cm x 78.7 cm)
Born in Fukushima prefecture, Kiyoshi Saito, moved to Otaru in Hokkaido at age 5, where he became an apprentice to a sign painter. He eventually studied drawing with Gyokusen Narita and moved to Tokyo to study Western-style painting at the Hongo Painting Institute in 1932. Saito then started working with the woodblock printing technique, and in 1936 exhibited his works with Nihon Hanga Kyokai. Saito primarily practiced oil painting until Tadashige Ono invited him to join the Zokei Hanga Kyokai in 1938. This was a turning point for the artist, when he elected to make the woodblock print his main medium. In 1943, he worked with the Asahi Newspaper Company, where he met Koshiro Onchi which led to an invitation to Ichimokukai as well as membership to Nihon Hanga Kyokai in 1944.
World War II interrupted Saitos printmaking career. Interestingly, he sold his first print at an exhibition with artists Un'ichi Hiratsuka and Hide Kawanishi during the occupation. Following the war, Saito exhibited at the 1948 Salon Printemps which was sponsored by Americans for Japanese Artists. At the 1951 Biennale of Sao Paulo, Saito won first place for his print entitled Steady Gaze. This was the first time in Japanese history that prints overtook painting in a competition rustling feathers in the Japanese art establishment. In 1956, the State Department and the Asia Foundation sponsored Saito to travel and exhibit throughout the United States and Europe.
Kiyoshi Saito works are in numerous elite collections including the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Achenbach Foundation for the Graphic Arts, San Francisco, the New York Public Library, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art, and the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum.
Provenance: private Santa Barbara, California, USA collection
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#179624
- Condition: Signed in black under artist's red seal in image on lower right. Mounted under glass in custom frame. Woodblock has not been examined outside of frame but presents with strong imagery and hues. Frame shows expected age wear but otherwise is intact and fit with suspension wire. Page of article about Saito from "Time Magazine" (February 10, 1967) is taped to gallery paper on verso. The article page presents with age wear and some tears as shown.
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