Showa Paintings

Cherry Blossoms Kano Sanrakuki (1898-1981) Showa period, circa 1930 2-panel Japanese Screen Color, gofun and gold leaf on paper Against a backdrop of gold-leafed ground, the lichen covered trunk and branches of the life-sized cherry blossom tree reach out and beyond the confines of the pictorial surface. The overall composition has a feeling of flatness which draws emphasis to the surface and the three-dimensionality of the cherry blossoms. Painstakingly built-up layers of thickly applied shell-white gofun detail the voluminous blossoms and cover large areas of this tour-de-force of Japanese Nihonga painting. By simplifying the background, minimizing the number of colors and depicting the blossoms with such heavy relief, the artist has emphasized the stunning presence of the cherry tree. The type of tree depicted is the Yae-Zakura; a double-layered type of cherry blossom famed for its beauty and strength. When we think of Japanese cherry blossoms, the first thing that comes to mind is Somei Yoshino variety, which has a single flower with five almost white petals. This type is fragile and easily blown away by strong wind or rain. Most of the double-flowered cherry blossoms begin to bloom when the Somei-Yoshino falls, and the flowering period lasts longer than that of the Somei-Yoshino. Kano Sanrakuki originally studied painting at the Kyoto City Arts and Crafts School under the tutelage of Yamamoto Shunkyo...

Serene Japanese Showa period two-panel folding byobu screen depicting a large spring blossoming prunus tree or plum tree. Beautifully painted with ink and natural color pigments on m...

Imao Keisho (1902-1993) Pine Trees Early 20th Century, Circa 1930 Pair of six-panel Japanese screens. Ink on silk and gold leaf. Dimensions: Each screen H. 67.5” x 148” (172 cm x 376 cm) A pair of monumental six-panel Japanese pine screens by the renowned Nihonga artist Imao Keisho. Here Keisho entirely removed the background and brought the pine trees to the surface of the painting. This simplification of the elements makes the scene exceptionally direct and compelling and injects a very modern...

Rare set of four Japanese Showa period door panels known as Fusuma in Japanese architecture. Similar to a Shoji room divider but made of an opaque materia...

A vibrant celebration of spring using a colorful ensemble of coxcomb, irises, lilies, hybiscus, and a blossoming cherry tree. Great examples of "tarashikomi" or "painting-in", a Rim...

This is a lacquerware craftsman's workbench believed to have been actually used in Fukushima Prefecture and other areas in the Tohoku region between 1945 and 1960. This box-shaped st...

Dramatic Showa period two panel folding byobu screen depicting a large white goose in flight in an evening snow covered winter landscape. Made in the American school style watercolor...

Japanese six-panel screen: Buck and doe at dawn. Showa period (1926-1989) painting of a rising sun seen through a woodland scene with a pair of deer. In Japan, deer are thought to be...

Japanese two panel screen: Mother and Child at Bedtime. Showa period (1926 - 1989) painting by Hideo Naishou who was born in Kobe in 1918. Lovely scene of a mother putting her baby t...

Japanese two panel screen: Chrysanthemums Through the Mist Obara Paper Art Screen. Surreal and masterful rendering of chrysanthemums cloaked in mist that varies in opacity made entirely of carefully arranged mulberry paper fibers in a Japanese art practice called Obara. Accented with gold leaf. Unique in terms of both execution and dreamlike mood. Made by Yamauchi Issei (b. 1929), stamped in the corner. Issei is well known throughout Japan as the leading artist in Obara Paper Art. Starting in 1948, he apprenticed with Fuji Tatsukichi, a leading proponent of the arts and crafts movement in Japan who worked to revive many cultural traditions on the brink of extinction. Issei started exhibiting in the Nitten in 1953, won the gold medal in 1963, and eventually became a juror. His artwork was given as a gift to the Showa Emperor of Japan, as well as dignitaries such as General Douglas MacArthur...

Japanese Two Panel Screen: Aviary Shaded By A Maple Tree, Showa period (1926 - 1989) painting of an outdoor bird enclosure under a maple tree. Painted in ...

Abstracted painting of ships moored in the background. Painted by Nishide Kofuku and exhibited at the 1963 Nitten National Exhibition. Kofuku was born in 1926 in Shiga Prefecture. He...

A masterful landscape made entirely of carefully arranged mulberry paper fibers in a Japanese art practice called Obara. Accented with gold leaf. Incredible craftsmanship and a wonderful rendering of bare trees. Made by Yamauchi Issei (b. 1929), stamped in the corner. Issei is well known throughout Japan as the leading artist in Obara Paper Art. Starting in 1948, he apprenticed with Fuji Tatsukichi, a leading proponent of the arts and crafts movement in Japan who worked to Revive many cultural traditions on the brink of extinction. Issei started exhibiting in the Nitten in 1953, won the Gold Medal in 1963, and eventually became a juror. His artwork was given as a gift to the Showa Emperor of Japan, as well as dignitaries such as General Douglas MacArthur...

A stunning painting by Ukrainian artist Leonid Steele titled "Awaiting", created in 1972 during the Soviet era. The painting is in the human realist st...

Japanese two panel screen: Moon Viewing, painting of two noblewomen admiring the full moon outdoors. Extremely sophisticated execution of painting ove...

Japanese two-panel screen: Dog Resting Beside a Thorny Hedge, Showa period (1926 - 1989) painting of a white dog through an exaggerated thorny ...