Kawano, Kaoru (1916 - 1965 )
Kaoru Kawano was a Japanese woodblock print artist who worked during the Showa period (1926-1989). Born in Hokkaido in 1916, Kawano studied at Kawabata Art School during the 1930s. He gained an international his reputation through successful solo exhibitions in North America and elsewhere. His prints frequently depict children and animals, combining Western-style elements with the tradition of woodblock printmaking. Kaoru Kawano’s works are also appreciated for the way in which they incorporate the woodgrain of the block into the design.
Sosaku Hanga | Post-WWII Japanese Prints
The Sosaku Hanga or “creative print” movement emerged in the changing Japan of the early 20th century. The movement arose from a central tenant: the artist must participate in every aspect of production. As artists shed the traditional delegation of ukiyo-e production and explored each role themselves, the act of printmaking adopted a more spontaneous, expressive attitude. Artists explored with the knife, chisel, woodblock, and ink to push to the boundaries of their medium. Originally excluded from Japan’s formal art world, Sosaku Hanga began on the pages of magazines. It was not until 1919 that the first Sosaku Hanga exhibition opened in Tokyo. Ranging from figural to abstract, the movement flourished after WWII, and found a new, eager audience among American GIs. In this collection, Ronin Gallery presents masters of Sosaku Hanga such as Onchi, Ono, Munakata, Saito, Sekino, and Mori, as well as other post-war Japanese printmakers.