<b>BATHER</b> / Kiyokichi Tanaka1914<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

This work depicts a woman hunched over washing her hair in a blood-red river current. This design was produced by Kyokichi Tanaka while attending art school with Koshiro Onchi and Shizuo Fujimori. During this time the three artists established the Tsukuhae (moon glow) art magazine, with the help of Takehisa Yumeiji. The artists produced seven issues containing numerous contributions by all three. This particular print is a standalone work: it was produced at the time of Tsukuhae but was not included in any of the issues. As with the work included in Tsukuhae, this print is heavily influenced by Symbolism and Expressionism, particularly in the German vein.

It is interesting to note that Tanaka was dying of tuberculosis when he produced this design. Full of inspiration and perhaps dread for his condition and its eventual outcome, Tanaka explored the subject of death and transcendence in his work. In particular, this print explores the poetics of death perhaps commenting on its omnipresence throughout life—striking the most beautiful or even the young.

Connoisseur's Note

Tanaka’s standalone printed work is quite rare, as most of his pieces were part of Tsukuhae. The prints were all executed solely by the artist, who carved and printed the designs himself. Adding to the difficulty was Tanaka’s quickly deteriorating health. It is astonishing to note this work was produced in the year of his death. This design is among the rarest within his oeuvre and one of the most sought after of all his standalone designs.