Munakata Shikō
1958
Oil on Canvas
From Mr. I’s Collection
Munakata Shikō
1903-1975
Born in Aomori Prefecture. Munakata moved to Tokyo in 1924. His oil painting was selected for the first time at the Teiten Exhibition in 1928. He created highly acclaimed woodblock prints while studying under Hiratsuka Unichi. Furthermore, his friendship with Yanagi Sōetsu, also known as Yanagi Muneyoshi, developer of the folk-art movement, had deepened his works even more. He received numerous awards on the world stage, like the Prize of Excellence at the Second International Print Exhibition in 1952. He produced religious spiritual pieces overflowing with earnest passion. In addition to woodblock prints, he created other masterpieces in oil painting, calligraphy and poetry in his own free, expressive style.