Takahashi, Rikio (1917 - 1999 )
The son of a nihonga painter, Rikio Takahashi was born in Tokyo in 1917. He studied woodblock printing with Koshiro Onchi and was an original member of the Sosaku Hanga or “creative print” movement. Takahashi worked with Onchi from 1949 until his teacher’s death in 1955. Takahashi was a member of Nihon Hanga Kyokai (joined 1952), Kokugakai and the Graphic Art Club. He exhibited his work in international competitions and exhibitions. During the 1960s, Takahashi spent two years in California. He believed that art was primarily a form of self-expression. Creating a unique style, he pioneered unorthodox printing techniques to make largely abstract works with distinct tonality. Kyoto’s gardens served as inspiration for much of his work, feeding into his fluid, abstract style. Each design is self-carved and printed, true to the spirit of his teacher Onchi.
Like many Sosaku Hanga artists in postwar Japan, Takahashi strayed from traditional cherrywood. Katsura wood became popular among Sosaku Hanga artists for it allowed larger blocks and was more affordable than cherry. By 1930, it became the standard wood used by Sosaku Hanga artists. With a light grain, artists could engage with surface texture or achieve unmarred smoothness. Takahashi worked largely with shina-faced (veneered) plywood, another readily available and affordable wood.
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.
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