Accession Number
1958/2.17

Title
Coral

Artist(s)
Saitō Kiyoshi

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1955

Medium & Support
color woodblock print on paper

Dimensions
12 1/2 in x 17 5/8 in (31.8 cm x 44.8 cm);13 1/8 in x 18 in (33.3 cm x 45.7 cm);26 in x 32 in (66.04 cm x 81.28 cm);16 1/8 in x 21 5/16 in (41 cm x 54.1 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of the artist

Label copy
The 1951 São Paulo Biennale was the first international art exhibition in which Japan participated after World War II, re-asserting its presence in the arena of global art. To the shock of the Japanese art establishment, paintings and sculpture were overlooked by the Biennale’s judges and Saitô’s print Steady Gaze was awarded first place, winning both domestic and international recognition for his work and for the Creative Print (sôsaku hanga) movement. Like Steady Gaze, Coral makes use of angular human profiles and emphasizes the texture of the wooden block, reminding the viewer of the creative labor of the artist in making the print.
(Gallery Rotation Fall 2011)
Gallery Rotation Fall 2011
Saitô Kiyoshi
Japan, 1907–1997
Coral
1955
Showa period (1926–89)
Color woodblock print on paper
Gift of the artist, 1958/2.17
The 1951 São Paulo Biennale was the first international art exhibition in which Japan participated after World War II, re-asserting its presence in the arena of global art. To the shock of the Japanese art establishment, paintings and sculpture were overlooked by the Biennale’s judges and Saitô’s print Steady Gaze was awarded first place, winning both domestic and international recognition for his work and for the Creative Print (sôsaku hanga) movement. Like Steady Gaze, Coral makes use of angular human profiles and emphasizes the texture of the wooden block, reminding the viewer of the creative labor of the artist in making the print.

Subject matter
This work makes use of angular human profiles and emphasizes the texture of the wooden block, reminding the viewer of the creative labor of the artist in making the print.

Physical Description
This work portrays a human profile.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Primary Object Type
color print

Additional Object Classification(s)
Print

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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