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| Artist: | Ohta Masamitsu (1892?-1975) - Ota — 太田雅光 |
| Title: | Onoe Baiko VII- Wisteria maiden — 藤娘 七代目尾上 |
| Series: | Figures of the Showa Stage — 昭和舞台姿 |
| Date of first edition?: | 1951 (circa) |
| Publisher (first edition)?: | Miyake Koshodo |
| Publisher (this edition)?: | Miyake Koshodo |
| Medium (first edition): | Woodblock |
| Medium (this edition): | Woodblock |
| Format (first edition): | Large Oban
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| Format (this edition): | Large Oban |
| DB artwork code: | 37643 |
| Notes (first edition)?: |
| It is very hard to find an undamaged example of this scene. I assume the folder this scene was housed in chemically reacted with the washi paper of the print. |
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| Notes (this edition)?: |
| The following information was taken from the original web listing of this artwork. Note that there may be some inaccuracies:
Wednesday, 26 July 2006
Bust Portrait: The Wisteria Maiden
Artist: Ota Masamitsu
Format: Large oban tate-e :16.25" x 10.75"
Subject: An unidentified actor in the role of The Wisteria Maiden. Print impressed mark 206 at base left.
One of Ota's finest designs in virtually mint state.
Ota's portraits are notable for their realistic shading and attention to detail, especially in the hands, faces, and clothing of the actors. It is interesting to compare Yamamura Toyonari's 1916 print of Oboshi Yuranosuke to Ota's 1955 print of the same role. Similar to the ukiyo-e prints of Sharaku and Toyokuni, Toyonari's simple design has a flat stylized quality rarely seen in later shin hanga. Ota's portrait is much more three-dimensional, employing the Western techniques of perspective and shading. The contrast in detail between the sharply etched actor and the blurred receding background gives his prints a wonderful sense of depth. Ota's prints emphasized the individual personality of the actors over any traditional design conventions.
Date: 1949
Condition: Full size. A clean crease mark along left margin. Minor marks and flaws. Generally very fine state.
Colour: Very fine
Impression: Very fine with gauffrage and mica background |
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| Artist Bio: |
A site dedicated to the works of Ohta Masamitsu can be found here.
Masamitsu Ota also known as Ōta Gako (太田 雅光, Ōta Masamitsu, 1892–1975) was a Japanese print-maker. He was one of the masters of the shin hanga movement. His work consisted mostly of kabuki actor prints that emphasized the individual personality of the actors, showcased through rich colors and exquisite patterns of complex design. Ota had a lifelong involvement with kabuki theater, illustrating volumes on major kabuki plays and famous kabuki costumes. His two most important set of actor prints, Showa Butai Sugata (1950) and Gendai Butai Geika (1955) were published by the Banchoro studio. These sets, of twelve prints each, exhibit a very high level of realism, achieved through the use of western techniques of perspective and through beautiful shading (bokashi) and attention to detail. (from https://peoplepill.com/people/masamitsu-ota)
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