Face, Shôwa period,

This Showa-period face study belongs to the broad category of close portrait work that occupied Kawano throughout his career. The simplified rendering of facial features — strong outlines, flat fields of color, minimal modeling — reflects the sosaku-hanga conviction that the artist's direct engagement with the woodblock, from design through carving to printing, produces an expressive directness unavailable in commercial reproduction. The face confronts the viewer with quiet but undeniable presence.