The 1947 Venus—Venus as subject rather than goddess name—places Saito briefly in the orbit of Western classical theme, the female nude body as an art historical subject of universal scope. His treatment would have subjected the Venus form to the same reductive analysis he brought to Buddhist figures: the body as a composition of simple rounded volumes, the classical pose reduced to its essential geometric relationships. The woodblock medium's flatness gave the result an unexpected affinity with both Japanese and modern Western art.
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.
Venus was created by Saito Kiyoshi (斎藤清) in 1947.
Venus depicts nude, figures, and abstract.
Venus measures 50.8 × 39.4 cm.
