Itō Shinsui - The Fragrance of a Bath [1930]

Itō Shinsui - The Fragrance of a Bath [1930], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Shin hanga prints were directed to a Western audience largely through Western patronage and art dealers such as Robert O. Muller (1911-2003). Directed primarily to foreign markets, shin hanga prints appealed to Western taste for nostalgic and romanticised views of Japan. Shin hanga prints flourished and enjoyed immense popularity overseas. In the 1920s, there were articles on shin hanga in the International Studio, the Studio, the Art News and the Art Digest magazines. In 1921, a Shinsaku-hanga Tenrankai (New Creative Print exhibition) was held in Tokyo. One hundred and fifty works by ten artists were exhibited. In 1930 and 1936, two major shin hanga exhibitions were held at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio. 

[Full colour woodblock print, 40.8 x 25.7 cm]

Itō Shinsui - Washing The Hair [1953]

Itō Shinsui - Washing The Hair [1953], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Washing the Hair was published in 1953 to celebrate the artist being made an Intangible Cultural Property in 1952. Shinsui (Fukagawa, Tokyo, February 4, 1898 - May 8, 1972) supervised the printing and a mica ground was used, the usual symbol of a special edition. The figure closely follows the right-hand figure on his painted two-fold screen called Tresses , published in 1949.

[Woodblock print, 49.3 x 35 cm]