Shotei (aka Hiroaki) (1871 - 1945 )
Born in Tokyo as Katsutaro Takahashi, Shotei (aka Hiroaki/ Komei) was in his mid-teens when he began to work in the design department of the Imperial Household Agency. He studied Nihonga, or Japanese-style painting, under his uncle Fuko Matsumoto, but also worked as an illustrator for periodicals and textbooks. Beginning in the early Taisho period, Shotei regularly collaborated with the prominent Shin Hanga publisher Shozaburo Watanabe. Shotei used a variety of signatures. Many of his large landscape prints and bijin-ga are signed 'Hiroaki,' while ‘Shotei’ appears on other works. Shotei was a productive shin-hanga artist, completing around five hundred designs by the time he was fifty. Unfortunately, many of Shotei's prints were destroyed by the fire that raged in the aftermath of the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923. Despite this tragedy, he continued to work as a printmaker until his death in 1945.
Modern Art | Modern Japanese Prints and Paintings
The 20th century saw the emergence of two modern Japanese print movements: Shin Hanga, or “new prints,” and Sosaku Hanga, or “creative prints.” Both sought an identity somewhere between centuries of rich cultural tradition and modern global character. With growing realism, changing techniques, and a newfound international audience, the Shin Hanga movement portrayed familiar Japanese themes through modern eyes. From sensual beauties and expressive actors, to atmospheric landscapes and sensitive nature studies, the principal genres of ukiyo-e reasserted themselves with renewed vigor. The Sosaku Hanga movement emphasized the participation of the artist in every aspect of production. From carving to printing, modern Japanese printmaking adopted a more spontaneous, expressive attitude through the artistic explorations of this movement. Ranging from figural to abstract, Sosaku Hanga flourished after WWII. Explore Ronin Gallery's selection of modern prints and paintings below.
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Shotei (aka Hiroaki)
The Foothills of Mt. Ashitaka, Autumn
JP-208255