Shiro Kasamatsu, "Night Rain at Shinobazu Pond"

In this atmospheric work showing Shinobazu Pond at Ueno Park in Tokyo, Shiro washes the composition in purple hues for an evening effect. The rain adds another moody layer to the work, as shown by the hard press of the baren in the sky during printing and the reflection in the puddles on the ground. One of the artist's more recognizable works.

Date: 1938
Size: Oban
Early edition (6mm seal)
Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
Condition: Excellent/fine color and condition
Frame Shown: 16" x 24" x 1/2", Classic Wood, Ebony

Shiro Kasamatsu (1898-1991) began his artistic career during the shin-hanga period and would go on to produce some of Japan's most recognizable woodblock prints. Starting in second-half of the 20th century, Shiro would go on to carve, print, and publish his own prints, making him an influential artist in the sosaku-hanga movement as well.