Lyric No. 32
Artist/Culture
Onchi Koshiro
(Japanese, 1891–1955)
DateFebruary 1955
Mediumpaper-, string- and plywood-block print on paper
Dimensions52.7 x 43.8 cm (20 3/4 x 17 1/4 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineHarriet B. Bancroft Fund, Alexander H. Bullock Fund, and Stoddard Acquisition Fund
Terms
Object number1990.25
Label Text2004-08-06: ONCHI, Koshiro (1891-1955)
Lyric No. 32
February 1955 (dated in pencil under signature)
Stamped signature on image: onzi
Inscribed in pencil on the reverse Lyric No. 32-1955
Paper-, string- and plywood-block print on paper
Harriet B. Bancroft Fund, Alexander H. Bullock Fund and Stoddard Acquisition Fund, 1990.25
Onchi Koshiro's pioneering explorations into abstract composition and his intellectual and spiritual leadership of the Japan Creative Print Association (Nihon Sosaku Hanga Kyokai; establ. 1918) inspired many artists to freely express themselves through carving and printing their own designs.
Born into an aristocratic artistic family, Onchi became a great admirer of Western classical music and art. Influenced by Wassily Kandinsky and Edvard Munch, Onchi created "lyrique" prints as prints as visual analogies of his emotional impressions of famous musical compositions. Onchi said that he experienced clear correspondences between musical notes and phrases and the color nuances and shapes expressed in art. He believed that the purest, most direct and playful expression of his heartfelt musical experiences was in non-representational compositions.
Onchi's convictions are conveyed in this work entitled Lyric No. 32. It is dated 1955, the year of his death. Its irregular, rhythmically overlapping shapes of rich transparent colors, including the emphatic white dot and hovering black comma-shape-all printed with cardboard, crumpled paper and plywood blocks-as well as the white string impression, blend to make a confident and vibrant statement.ProvenanceSotheby's sale 6038, June 19, 1990 from Roy G. Cole Collection.On View
Not on view
