Face No.3

Face No.3 belongs to Kinoshita Tomio's sustained postwar investigation of the human face as a vehicle for psychological and metaphysical inquiry. The title's serial numbering reflects the systematic working method common among sosaku-hanga artists, who returned to a single motif across multiple block states and color variations. The image likely presents a frontal, mask-like countenance reduced to broad graphic shapes, with carved contours emphasized rather than softened. Following the sosaku-hanga creed of jiga, jikoku, jizuri (self-drawn, self-carved, self-printed), Kinoshita would have cut the blocks himself, exploiting the resistance of the woodgrain and the pressure of the baren to register flat, unshaded planes on washi. The restricted palette typical of his output—often confined to black with one or two earth tones or muted accents—pushes attention toward silhouette and interior structure. Produced in the orbit of his Japan Print Association Award (1958) and Kokuga Award (1960) recognitions, work in this vein helped establish his international reputation through appearances at the Tokyo International Print Biennale.