Japanese Woodblock Print, 1920s, published by Shozaburo Watanabe

SIZE IN INCHES: 3 x 4 inches

COMMENTS: A delightful Koson composition showing two finches snuggled together on a snowy branch as a light snow falls.

PROVENANACE: From the Robert O. Muller estate.

OHARA KOSON (1877-1945), who also went by the art names of Shoson and Hoson, began his career as the student of Suzuki Koson where he painted flora and fauna between 1895-1902 gradually becoming known as a “Nihonga” painter in the “kacho-ga” (nature print) genre. Briefly during the Russo-Japanese war Koson produced “senso-e” (war prints), but the vast majority of his early prints (1900-1912) were nature prints designed for the North American and European markets for the publishers Kokkeido and Daikokuya. These prints were all signed “Koson”. Between 1912-1926 Koson returned to painting, but using the name Shoson, he continued to design woodblock prints, this time in collaboration with S. Watanabe. Koson also produced prints using the name Hoson which were published by Kawaguchi between 1930-1931.

While the artists’ prints had always been sold abroad, Koson's success was assured as a result of the 1930 and 1936 Toledo Museum exhibitions. More prints by Koson were sold during these shows than any other artists’ due to their artistic merit and their relatively inexpensiveness in comparison with of the works of Yoshida, Shinsui, Hasui and others. Koson’s career peaked in the mid 1930’s. His work is realistic, based mainly on his own sketches and watercolors. It is estimated that he produced more than 450 designs of birds.

Fine, no flaws