<b>AT BATH</b> / Ishikawa Toraji1915<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

It may be surprising that the Ishikawa Toraji was known primarily as a landscape painter while the artist was active. The exceptional quality of this work clearly exemplifies the artist’s prowess beyond the subject of landscapes and anticipates his masterful series of nudes produced as woodblock prints in the mid-1930s. 

Working in oil, Toraji produces a charming and sensual vision. The artist uses quick brushstrokes that thin out throughout the background, effectively conjuring the quality of rising steam in a bathhouse. The colors utilized are warm and earthy, with tones of green and pink throughout.

The subject is reminiscent of Goyo’s first woodblock print produced by Watanabe also in this exhibition. Where Goyo provides the viewer with the scene from a direct vantage point, Toraji elects to give the viewer the woman’s back. The subject is crouched over the bucket, lost in thought, and the viewer can only admire, hiding behind the rising steam.

Connoisseur's Note

Oil paintings of this subject by Toraji are quite scarce. This work was produced before Toraji’s series of woodblock prints featuring nudes. This work is a wonderful opportunity to see the artist’s early treatment of the subject. The signature and seal also support the early date of this work, as this particular seal was used before 1930.