The Male Image

COMING SOON

The Male Image: 20th Century Japanese Portraiture

In the history of Japanese printmaking portrayals of men were usually limited to the depiction of actors from the Kabuki stage, sumo wrestlers and heroes from a distant past or folktales. Men from daily life or politics were not considered legitimate subjects for portraiture in printed form. With the exception of Kabuki actors, there were seldom true portraits. In the 20th century the portrait, under the influence of trends in western style painting, became an accepted format although pictures of men remained a marginal subject, especially compared to the numerous images of women. However, male portraiture from this period shows a variety of contemporary prominent men, from self-portraits to prints of fellow artists, friends or patrons. This catalogue contains works by artists such as Sekino Junichirō, Natori Shunsen and Yamamura Kōka.