Signed C. Kiyoshi Saito Woodblock Print, Winter Scene

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Ancient & Ethnographic Art Through The Ages

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 10, 2022

Set Reminder 2022-02-10 10:00:00 2022-02-10 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Ancient & Ethnographic Art Through The Ages https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-ethnographic-art-through-the-ages-8873
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• Lot Description
  Kiyoshi Saito (Japanese, 1907-1997). Sosaku woodblock print, ca. mid 20th century CE. Signed in pencil under artist's red seal on lower left. A wonderful sosaku woodblock print of a charming winter scene featuring skiers on a snowy day outside temple by Kiyoshi Saito. Saito was a sosaku hanga artist, hence his compositions were self-drawn, self-carved, and self-printed. While Saito's early works demonstrate a keen attention to realism and three-dimensionality, in time his style evolved, and his style became more flat and two-dimensional, presenting bold designs with strong color and refined texture that aligned with the mid-century modern aesthetic as we see in this example. Size of sight view: 10.875" L x 16.125" W (27.6 cm x 41 cm) Size of frame: 15" L x 22.125" W (38.1 cm x 56.2 cm)
  
  Born in Fukushima prefecture, Kiyoshi Saito, moved to Otaru in Hokkaido at age 5, where he became an apprentice to a sign painter. He eventually studied drawing with Gyokusen Narita and moved to Tokyo to study Western-style painting at the Hongo Painting Institute in 1932. Saito then started working with the woodblock printing technique, and in 1936 exhibited his works with Nihon Hanga Kyokai. Saito primarily practiced oil painting until Tadashige Ono invited him to join the Zokei Hanga Kyokai in 1938. This was a turning point for the artist, when he elected to make the woodblock print his main medium. In 1943, he worked with the Asahi Newspaper Company, where he met Koshiro Onchi which led to an invitation to Ichimokukai as well as membership to Nihon Hanga Kyokai in 1944.
  
  World War II interrupted Saito’s printmaking career. Interestingly, he sold his first print at an exhibition with artists Un’ichi Hiratsuka and Hide Kawanishi during the occupation. Following the war, Saito exhibited at the 1948 Salon Printemps which was sponsored by Americans for Japanese Artists. At the 1951 Biennale of Sao Paulo, Saito won first place for his print entitled "Steady Gaze". This was the first time in Japanese history that prints overtook painting in a competition – rustling feathers in the Japanese art establishment. In 1956, the State Department and the Asia Foundation sponsored Saito to travel and exhibit throughout the United States and Europe.
  
  Kiyoshi Saito works are in numerous respected collections including the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Achenbach Foundation for the Graphic Arts, San Francisco, the New York Public Library, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art, and the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum.
  
  Provenance: J Compton Gallery, Wimberley, Texas, USA
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
  
  Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
  
  #169760

  Condition

  This woodblock print has not been examined outside the frame. It is signed in pencil under artist's red seal on lower left. Appears to have a few minor stains and discoloration at the lower edge of the sight view. Minute nicks/scuffs to frame. Tears to gallery paper on verso that do not impact the image. Wired for suspension, but we would recommend replacing with new wire.
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