Masks 4 (Kamen 4)
Artist/Culture
Kinoshita, Tomio
(Japanese, 1923–about 2011)
Date1957
Mediumwoodblock print, ink and color on paper
Dimensions55.9 x 74.9 cm (22 x 29 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineHarriet B. Bancroft Fund
Object number1962.30
Label Text2004-08-06: KINOSHITA, Tomio (b. 1923)
Masks 4 (Kamen 4)
1957
Ed. 8/10
Signed in red pencil Tomio Kinoshita; sealed Tomio
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Harriet B. Bancroft Fund, 1962.30
Kinoshita Tomio graduated from the Nagoya Municipal College of Art in 1941 but became a seal carver, a profession he learned from his wife. He enjoys carving designs in blocks for woodblock prints when he is in the mood, but is not always enthusiastic about printing out full editions or marketing his works for commercial gain or fame.
Kinoshita is interested in making a statement about the suffering of human beings. Greatly inspired by the techniques of early European print makers (i.e., Cranach and Dürer), Kinoshita developed a unique style of carving abstracted heads with parallel lines reminiscent of wood-grain, usually using a single, u-shaped gouge.
As is evident from this print, he endowed the faces of his figures with subtle expressions and dimension by varying the width and spacing of the lines. The figure on the right has a slightly quizzical, furrowed brow and a puckered mouth. He/she directs his/her attention to the figures on the left, confronting the viewer with impassive, mask-like expressions. The one in the lead has a seemingly more intense, serious expression because of the horizontal lines above his/her left eye and the diagonal "frown-wrinkle" under the eye.ProvenanceT.Z. Shiota, San Francisco, CAOn View
Not on view
