KAORU KAWANO Japanese, 1916 - 1965 Dancing Figure, Sosaku-Hanga woodblock print Mid-century Japanese woodblock print depicting a young kamuro (attendant to a courtesan) in a vibrant red kimono adorned with pine, plum blossom, and calligraphic motifs, set against a dark charcoal-grey ground. Pencil-titled in the lower margin "Dancing Figure (Kamuro)," numbered 58/300, and signed "Kaoru Kawano" in pencil; with the artist's red seal. Framed. Not examined out of frame. Sight (as matted) 22.5 inches x 15.25 inches; frame: 30 x 22.5 inches $200-300
ARTIST PROFILE: kaoru Kawano (Japanese, 1916–1965) was a Japanese printmaker born in Hokkaido, who began his artistic studies at the Kawabata Art School in 1934 and was accepted into the Japan Print Society soon after. His career was interrupted by World War II, during which he was held as a prisoner of war in Serbia, an experience that profoundly shaped his postwar artistic outlook. Following the war, Kawano resumed printmaking and, in 1954, received the Koguga Prize, launching an international reputation that brought his work to exhibitions in New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Yugoslavia. A leading figure in the sosaku hanga ("creative print") movement, Kawano was celebrated for blending traditional Japanese woodblock techniques with a simplified, modern sensibility often incorporating the natural grain of the wood into his compositions. He is best known for his depictions of children, women, and animals, rendered with bold color and elegant economy of form. Kawano died in 1965 at the age of 49, but his prints remain widely collected and are held in institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago and the British Museum.
