1968／Color woodblock print on paper
25.5 x 37.7 cm
SUMMARY
Ushijima Noriyuki became interested in woodblock printing around 1965, and created prints for the Kato Print Institute, a well-established publisher in the medium. This piece is from the book Ushijima Noriyuki Print Collection 2nd Set, published by the Kato Print Institute in 1968 as a limited set of 150 editions. Six pieces are included in the collection – alongside this print, they are: Riverside Early Autumn, Gaien Landscape, Bokuto (“East Side of Sumida River”), Riverside District, and Fishing Village in Shimoda. In this work, a dark navy Mount Fuji is shown in stillness, against the background of a beautiful sunset transforming from blue to red. The town in the foreground becomes a simplified silhouette, creating a unique feeling of desolation and lyricism, and a thin line of smoke rising from a chimney hints at the warmth of life and awakens a sense of nostalgia. Ushijima worked with an almost identical composition on the oil painting Evening Moon, which was produced in 1975. In that piece, Mount Fuji is depicted in an abstract air, as if it is merging into the sky of the sunset and the moon. There, the mountain is subsumed into the landscape, but in this piece Mount Fuji remains the focal point, and the beautiful curved lines and soft colors enfold its majestic presence.
ARTIST
Ushijima Noriyuki
1900-1997
Ushijima Noriyuki was born in Nihongi, Kumamoto. In 1922 he enrolled in the Western painting department, the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, and studied under Okada Saburosuke. His class included Ogisu Takanori, Koiso Ryohei, Inokuma Genichiro, Yamaguchi Takeo and Okada Kenzo amongst others. He graduated in 1927, and formed Jotokai with his classmates. From the first exhibition until his death he continued to submit works to its shows. In 1946 his submission, Enchu (“Glaring Daylight”), won the highest honor. In 1949 he founded Ryukikai, which became his most important field of work, with Suda Hisashi, Yamamoto Daigoro and others. In 1955 he became a lecturer at the Tokyo University of the Arts, and in 1959 an assistant professor. He became a professor in 1965. He was involved in art education for a long time, and nurtured many talents. Although not as numerous as his oil paintings, he also produced some woodblock prints. In 1969 he received the Ministry of EducationAward for Fine Arts, and in 1983 the Cultural Medal.
List of artworks by the same artist
INFORMATION
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