<b>HAGENBECK CIRCUS</b>Koshiro Onchi1933<b>SOLD</b></em>

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Koshiro Onchi was one of the leading printmakers in 20th-century Japan. He is credited with producing the first work of abstraction in printed form in 1915. Onchi was comfortable in both abstract and representational formats, making his prints stylistically varied. He is known for imbuing his work with an expressive quality that was thought-provoking and emotionally potent. In many cases, his most expressive work remains unrivaled today. With his charisma, Onchi tended to the flame of the sosaku hanga movement during the dark years leading to and during the war by encouraging artists to produce creative prints for art’s sake.

In 1933 Onchi attended a performance of the Carl Hagenbeck Circus. The German-based circus troupe toured Japan and visited dozens of cities, including Tokyo, Nagoya, and Fukuoka, among others. Although Western-style circuses had been introduced to Japan during the Meiji period, the Hagenbeck circus was known for its array of exotic animals shown in close proximity as well as a variety of shows and spectacles, often occurring simultaneously. 

In Onchi’s masterful design, the central figure, the ringmaster, is merely suggested by a portion of an arm and hand with an extended whip in a figure eight formation. Quite fittingly, the fragmented composition in varying degrees of perspective is masterfully stitched together by the ringmaster’s whip. The design showcases a variety of animals, such as horses, a tiger, bear, seal, and elephant. Also included in a kaleidoscope-like array are a variety of performers such as a clown, dancers, trapeze artists, and an ensemble of musicians. Further still, Onchi was able to include the big top portion of the tent as well as part of the troupe’s train caboose, which became an icon for this circus as it toured Japan by rail. 

At first blush, the design appears uncharacteristically chaotic for an Onchi composition, but it effectively conveys the overwhelming characteristic of the circus with its many spectacles vying for the spectator’s eyes. Beyond the print’s initial chaotic appearance, Onchi tames the composition by masterfully weaving competing elements into one unified whole resulting in an exceedingly powerful and elegant composition. 

Connoisseur's Note

The print is a rare self-printed work executed in a spontaneous wet-like printing technique with expressive overprinting of colors— all telltale signs of the hand of the master at work. The design’s title is printed at the lower left margin.