<b>AFTER BATH</b> / Kobayakawa Kiyoshi1931$4,500</em>
ARTIST: Kobayakawa Kiyoshi (1897-1948)
TITLE: After bath
MEDIUM: Woodblock print
DATE: 1931
DIMENSIONS:
CONDITION: Excellent, no problems to note
NOTE: Published by Ensendo; silver mica background
LITERATURE: Amy Reigle Newland, and Hamanaka Shinji, The Female Image: 20th-century prints of Japanese beauties, 2000, pl. 199
$4,500.00
ARTIST: Kobayakawa Kiyoshi (1897-1948)
TITLE: After bath
MEDIUM: Woodblock print
DATE: 1931
DIMENSIONS:
CONDITION: Excellent, no problems to note
NOTE: Published by Ensendo; silver mica background
LITERATURE: Amy Reigle Newland, and Hamanaka Shinji, The Female Image: 20th-century prints of Japanese beauties, 2000, pl. 199
$4,500.00
ARTIST: Kobayakawa Kiyoshi (1897-1948)
TITLE: After bath
MEDIUM: Woodblock print
DATE: 1931
DIMENSIONS:
CONDITION: Excellent, no problems to note
NOTE: Published by Ensendo; silver mica background
LITERATURE: Amy Reigle Newland, and Hamanaka Shinji, The Female Image: 20th-century prints of Japanese beauties, 2000, pl. 199
$4,500.00
Details
Perhaps Kiyoshi is most recognized for his bijin-ga featuring female figures with captivating eyes. Tipsy, 1930, and Expression of the Eyes, 1931, come to mind. In this tradition, After Bath, 1933, is an oban-size portrait produced by the publisher Ensendo that successfully captures the artist’s prowess.
The design is striking in its subtle use of sensuality. The print features an okubi-e, or three-quarter length portrait, of a woman toweling off after a bath. The woman is slightly hunched over, revealing the nape of her neck and a portion of her back, as she looks toward the viewer’s direction but does not quite make eye contact. The viewer is left to admire the woman’s exposed form and is made to wait for the promise of this eye contact to materialize. As the viewer’s eye grows more impatient, the soft materials of the woman’s robe and towel further lend to the sensual experience. As the viewer examines the woman’s eyes, their large almond-shaped form captivates and threatens not to let go.
Connoisseur's Note
This print is a rare work published by Ensendo. This design demonstrates all the finer details in Kiyoshi’s larger-scale work, as the print is finely printed throughout. Of particular note is the astonishingly tactile quality of the woman’s robe as well as the fine application of silver mica in the background of the design. These elements work in concert with the overall design to produce a captivating work worthy of the most discriminating bijin-ga collector.
