Constellation 73-5, Shôwa period,

The fifth print in Kitaoka's 1973 Constellation series, this work represents his move toward semi-abstraction in the later Shôwa period. Constellation compositions typically scatter discrete geometric or organic marks across a field of color, suggesting star clusters or celestial mapping rather than depicting individual constellations literally. Kitaoka's training as an oil painter informed his sensitivity to surface and ground, and here the washi substrate likely shows through unprinted areas to create luminous intervals between printed marks. The series as a whole reflects his engagement with postwar international abstraction encountered during his time abroad, filtered through the physical constraints and textures inherent in woodblock printing.