Japanese 1898 - 1972

Ito Shinsui was one of the greatest artists of the shin hanga or new print movement in 20th century Japan. Shinsui studied with the ukiyo-e printmaker Kiyokata. At the age of eighteen, the publisher Watanabe Shozaburo approached Shinsui about doing woodblock designs for his company after seeing the young artist's paintings on exhibit. Shinsui created prints for Watanabe from 1916 to 1960, earning great esteem for his sensual, expressive bijin-ga, or pictures of beautiful women. In 1952, the government of Japan declared Shinsui's talents an Intangible National Treasure, and in 1970, he received the Order of the Rising Sun. Today his elegant yet modern images of beauties are highly prized by collectors.

Source: Fuji Arts