Details

Ono Tadashige was a prominent sosaku hanga artist and scholar of 20th-century Japanese prints. Ono’s early prints were deeply rooted in the social-critical movement of German expressionism and the art trend dominating within Russia and among critical intellectual circles in China. Ono’s later work saw a lessened proletarian engagement, but the artist’s interest in cityscapes and the newly industrialized face of Japan remained a constant theme throughout his career.

In this dynamic design, Ono’s distinctive thick black lines construct a narrow corridor, where a street splits into two, providing a choice of direction for two cars that populate this isolated road. Besides a tight composition, Ono’s choice of colors, particularly the grainy and inconsistent printing effects on the road, lend themselves to support the artist’s main intended effect—a precarious sense of movement down a narrow slope.

Connoisseur's Note

This work is in excellent condition and retains the original backing sheet used by the artist to title, date, and sign his work.