<b>MT. ASO CLIMBING TRAIL</b> / Kihachiro Shimozawa1958<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

Kihachiro Shimozawa executed this richly printed landscape in the late 1950s when Sosaku Hanga artists could make a living doing so. This work is an expression of his agility with color and printing. Unlike Ukiyo-e or Shin Hanga, the print does not contain a black key-block outline, the image is constructed with thick applications of color that build-up the image. This technique was pioneered by the Sosaku Hanga artist, Kanae Yamamoto, and became the convention at this time among artists of this genre. Unlike his contemporaries such as Umataro Azechi, Masao Maeda, and Susumu Yamaguchi, for Shimozawa, landscapes were not intellectual or poetic simplifications; they were attempts at capturing the warmth and intimacy of the Japanese countryside. After years of struggle for acceptance, Shimozawa and the Sosaku Hanga movement attained much deserved success and worldwide recognition. As this design points out, the climbing trail is unbarred and it leads to the summit.

Connoisseur's Note

In experimental landscapes, such as this work, Shimozawa produced impressions that displayed variations based on how the artist elected to print a particular design at any given time. Much like Koshiro Onchi but to a lesser extent, Shimozawa in his late 1950s work produced highly expressive prints that showcased his evolving artistic hand. This impression is executed with particularly bright and rich colors. The purple used on the mountain ridge on the horizon line, at right, is particularly effective and beautiful.