Shikō Munakata
Munakata Shikō | |
---|---|
Printmaker | |
Notable work | Ten Great Disciples of the Buddha |
Movement | sōsaku-hanga, folk arts movement |
Awards | Order of Culture, many others |
Shikō Munakata (棟方 志功, Munakata Shikō, September 5, 1903 – September 13, 1975) was a
Early life
Munakata was born in the city of
Munakata later claimed that his artistic endeavors were sparked by Vincent van Gogh's (1853–1890) Still Life: Vase with Five Flowers, a reproduction of which was given to him by his teacher when he was 17. Upon viewing of van Gogh's artwork, young Munakata decided that he wanted to become the “van Gogh of Aomori”. In 1924, Munakata moved to Tokyo in order to fulfill his decision to become a professional painter in oils.
Munakata's early career was not without obstacles. Unable to sell his paintings, he was forced to repair shoes and sell
The path towards woodblock prints
In 1926, Munakata saw
In 1935,
Munakata's house and most of his woodblocks were destroyed in the
Postwar period
After World War II, Munakata produced numerous woodblock prints, paintings in watercolor and oil, calligraphy, and illustrated books. He moved his studio to Kamakura in Kanagawa to be closer to Tokyo. He traveled overseas to the United States and Europe in 1959, giving lectures at a number of overseas universities. His works received critical acclaim both in Japan and overseas, and he received many prizes.
Munakata was awarded the "Prize of Excellence" at the Second International Print Exhibition in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1952, and first prize at the São Paulo Bienal Exhibition in Brazil in 1955, followed by Grand Prix at the Venice Biennale in 1956. He was awarded the Order of Culture, the highest honor in the arts, by the Japanese government in 1970.
Munakata died at his home in Tokyo. His grave is in Aomori, and his gravestone is patterned after that of Vincent van Gogh.
Subject matter and technique
Munakata took many of his themes from the traditions of his native Aomori in northern Japan, including the local people's love of nature and folk festivals such as the
This extremely shortsighted artist brought his face almost into contact with the wood when he carved. In his words, “the mind goes and the tool walks alone”. Munakata carved with amazing speed and scarcely used any preparatory sketches, producing spontaneous vitality that is unique to his prints. During the early stage of his career, Munakata worked exclusively on black-and-white prints. Later on, upon the advice of Yanagi Sōetsu (1889–1961), Munakata colored his prints from the back, a technique called urazaishiki.
Munakata's philosophy on woodblock prints
Unlike Kōshirō Onchi (1891–1955), father of the sōsaku-hanga movement, who advocated artists’ expression of the "self" in creating prints, Munakata disclaimed all responsibilities as creator of art. For Munakata, artistic creation is one but many of the manifestations of nature's force and beauty, which is inherent in the woodblock itself. Munakata called prints itaga instead of hanga[citation needed], emphasizing the material instead of the process of printing. (written in the same kanji, han refers to the process of printing, whereas ita refers to the woodblock itself). In Munakata's words, "the essence of hanga lies in the fact that one must give in to the ways of the board ... there is a power in the board, and one cannot force the tool against that power." Munakata's subject matter and artistic style are very much characterized by his philosophy on the supremacy of the woodblock material and nature's inherent force and beauty.
Quotations of Shiko Munakata
"Like the vastness of space, like a universe unlimited, untold, unattainable, and inscrutable- that is the woodcut."
"The nature of the woodcut is such, that even a mistake in its carving will not prevent it from its true materialization."
"The concern that it be ugly is characteristic of human thoughts and not of the woodcut itself."
"It is inherent in the woodcut that it can never be ugly"
"The woodcut, unconcerned with good and evil, with ideas, with differences, tells us that it consists of truth alone,"
"It is precisely the beauty of this <way> which will further enlarge the limitlessness of the world of beauty."
(from Shiko Munakata, Munakata: the “Way” of the Woodcut, Brooklyn, Pratt Adlib Press, 1961).
Philately
One of Munakata’s works, “Benzaiten”, appeared on a 1982
Gallery
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Woodcut Screens of Shiko Munakata at the Brooklyn Museum, January 9 - February 18, 1968.
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Woodcut Screens of Shiko Munakata at the Brooklyn Museum, January 9 - February 18, 1968.
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Woodcut Screens of Shiko Munakata at the Brooklyn Museum, January 9 - February 18, 1968.
References
- ^ "Shikō Munakata". Olympedia. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ Nathan, Richard (12 March 2021). "Changing Nations: The Japanese Girl With a Book". Red Circle Authors.
- ^ Fenstermaker, Will (2022). "Shikō Munakata: A Way of Seeing". TheGuide.art.
Further reading
- Castile, Rand. Shiko Munakata (1903–1973): Works on Paper. New York: Japan Society, 1982. ISBN 0-913304-14-X
- Kawai, Masatomo. Munakata Shiko: Japanese Master of the Modern Print. Art Media Resources (2002). ISBN 1-58886-021-3
- Munakata, Shiko. Munakata: the “Way” of the Woodcut. Brooklyn, Pratt Adlib Press, 1961. ASIN: B0006AY8HK
- Singer, Robert T. and Nobuho, Kakeya. Munakata Shiko: Japanese Master of the Modern Print. Philadelphia and Los Angeles: Philadelphia Museum of Art and Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2002. ISBN 1-58886-021-3
- Yanagi, Sori. The Woodblock and the Artist: the Life and Work of Shiko Munakata. Tokyo, New York: Kodansha International, 1991. ISBN 4-7700-1612-3
External links
- Munakata's works at the Brooklyn Museum
- Woodcut Screens of Shiko Munakata - Brooklyn Museum 1968 Exhibition
- Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum of Art in Aomori
- Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum in Kamakura (Japanese site)
- Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum in Toyama
- Munakata’s works at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco[permanent dead link]
- Munakata Shiko's works at Los Angeles County Museum of Art