Details

Koshiro Onchi was one of the leading printmakers in 20th century Japan. He is credited with producing the first work of abstraction in printed form in 1915. Onchi was comfortable in both abstract and representational formats, making his prints stylistically varied. He is known for imbuing his work with an expressive quality that was thought-provoking and emotionally potent. In many cases, his most expressive work remains unrivaled today. With his charisma, Onchi tended to the flame of the sosaku hanga movement during the dark years leading to and during the war by encouraging artists to produce creative prints for art’s sake.

This painting was produced in 1920, during Onchi’s first trip outside Japan. The work was created when the artist visited a family member in what was then a Japanese annex called Formosa (now Taiwan). The painting depicts a view of the side gate to a Confucian temple at Tainan. The work is executed in Onchi’s typical rich, dark palette for oils. The brushwork is soft and energetic throughout, particularly evident in the vegetation surrounding the temple, almost mirroring the printing technique found in his woodblock prints.

Connoisseur's Note

Onchi oil paintings are scarcely available for sale. This work is one of three known paintings that were later reinterpreted as woodblock prints. This work has been widely examined and documented by leading scholars in the field and is featured in Elizabeth Swinton’s dissertation, The Graphic Art of Onchi Koshiro: Innovation and Tradition (1986). It is interesting to note the woodblock print of this subject is a faithful rendering of the oil painting and is featured on our website.