by Kogan Tobari
Beauty subjects are especially sought after in this category. Key value factors: As self-carved and self-printed works, sosaku-hanga value is tied to the artist's reputation and edition size. Larger formats, earlier editions, and historically significant works command the highest prices.
Half-Nude Woman Kneeling is a Taisho-era woodblock that brings together the [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) emphasis on personal expression with the Western life-drawing tradition that was entering Japanese art education in the early twentieth century. The kneeling pose and partial nudity suggest a studio setting, the woman modelling for the artist rather than being observed in daily life. Tobari carves the figure with an attention to volume and shadow that reflects his engagement with Western approaches to the body, while the woodblock medium grounds the image in Japanese printmaking tradition. The result is a hybrid work, neither fully Western nor traditionally Japanese in its treatment of the nude.
Mutsu Tsuta onsen
1919
Color woodblock print; oban
1943
Color woodblock print
Autumn 1920
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
1924
Color woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Half-Nude Woman Kneeling was created by Kogan Tobari (戸張孤雁) in Japanese, Taishô era, 20th century.
Half-Nude Woman Kneeling depicts nude.
