CLIFTON KARHU American-born, Kyoto-based, 1927-2007 The Kura, 1984 woodblock print circular (tondo-format) woodblock print depicting a snow-laden traditional Japanese kura (storehouse) glimpsed through a screen of bare, snow-dusted tree trunks and branches. The composition is built from Karhu's characteristic bold, flattened planes of color capturing the hushed stillness of a winter village with distant mountains beyond. Pencil-numbered 10/160, titled "The Kura" in the lower margin, and signed and dated "C. Karhu '84" lower right. Presented under glass in a circular mat. Diameter: 22 inches; frame: 31 x 30.5 inches $700-1,000
ARTIST PROFILE: Clifton Karhu (American, 1927-2007) was an American artist of Finnish heritage who settled in Japan after serving there in the U.S. military during World War II and later returning as a missionary. Born in Duluth, Minnesota, and educated at the Minneapolis Art School from 1950 to 1952, Karhu returned to Japan in the early 1950s, eventually settling in Kyoto by 1963, where he studied under woodblock artist Tetsuo Yamada and Western color theorist Stanton Macdonald-Wright. He became known internationally for his bold, colorful woodblock prints inspired by ukiyo-e, depicting the traditional architecture and streetscapes of Kyoto and Kanazawa, and became the first foreign member of the Japan Print Association. Japanese media described him as being "more Japanese than a Japanese" for his deep adherence to traditional printmaking methods. His work has been exhibited throughout Japan, the United States, and Europe, and is held in prestigious institutions including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Karhu continued producing prints until his death in 2007.
