$500–$5,000. Snow and night scenes tend to command premium prices for this artist. Key value factors: Kitaoka's refined style has a modest but loyal collector base.
A circle of moon — or perhaps its wavering reflection on open water — anchors this nocturnal seascape in a single luminous note. Kitaoka reduces the composition to its barest elements: the horizontal pull of sea or sky, the concentrated energy of the circular form, the vast surrounding dark. Printed in 1961 during one of his most productive periods, the work demonstrates his command of restraint — how much can be said through how little — and aligns him with the broader postwar Japanese interest in meditative abstraction.
1940
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Boshu Taikai
1925
Color woodblock print; oban
September 1931
Color woodblock print; oban
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Sea and Moon was created by Fumio Kitaoka (北岡文雄) in 1961.
Sea and Moon depicts seascapes, moonlight, and night scenes.
