Art of Japan and Maekawa Senpan: Countryside Ladies
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Maekawa Senpan (1888-1960) is famous for sosaku hanga (creative prints). This is despite studying oil painting under Asai Chū (1856-1907).
He was a political radical – and artistically, very independent. Accordingly, his focus on the countryside – and countryside ladies in this article – impacted his life.
The British Museum says: “Maekawa was one of the great personalities of twentieth-century Japanese prints, a man of notable independence, and a political radical, yet a staunch traditionalist and supporter of Japanese folk life and customs.”
Minami Kunzo (1883-1950) impacted the artistic future of Maekawa Senpan. Hence, he took his advice and focused on woodblock printing.
Maekawa said: “Etching? Wood engraving? Painting? They’re simply not agreeable to me. To me, the wood-print quality is everything. Even calligraphy made with a brush is never wholly satisfying. I like a character only when it has been cut in wood.”
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