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Expression of Eyes by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi — Japanese Woodblock print, 1931

Expression of Eyes

by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi

Date:
1931
Medium:
Woodblock print
Format:
Oban
Edition:
Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Description

"Expression of Eyes," from 1931, brings Kobayakawa's radical cropping strategy to bear on the eyes themselves — the most psychologically charged feature of the face. The print eliminates most of the face to focus on the eyes, which are rendered with extraordinary precision: the line of the lid, the curve of the iris, the light reflected on the pupil. This close-focus approach, influenced by modern photography, was unlike anything in traditional bijin-ga and gave Kobayakawa's women a psychological depth that was entirely his own.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Expression of Eyes was created by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi (小早川清) in 1931.

Expression of Eyes was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1931).

Expression of Eyes depicts bijin-ga and portraits.