Bare Skin on White Cloth
by Koshiro Onchi

Original caretaker of this artwork: The Art of Japan

	Artist:	Koshiro Onchi — 恩地 孝四郎
	Title:	Bare Skin on White Cloth
	Series:
	Date of first edition?:	1929
	Publisher (first edition)?:	Self
	Publisher (this edition)?:	Self
	Medium (first edition):	Woodblock
	Medium (this edition):	Woodblock
	Format (first edition):	Oban
	Format (this edition):	Oban
	DB artwork code:	45108
	Notes (first edition)?:	Artist Onchi (1891-1955) Title Bare Skin on White Cloth Date Of Work 1929 Publisher Dimensions 10.375 x 15.75 Notes Perhaps Onchi's most influential print. Extremely rare. Fine Mica Ground. From COLLECTING JAPANESE PRINTS: Koshiro Onchi was one of the leading printmakers in 20th century Japan. He is credited with producing the first work of abstraction in printed form in 1915. Onchi’s prints are stylistically varied and he was comfortable working in both abstraction and representational formats. He is known for imbuing his work with an expressive quality that was thought provoking and emotionally potent. In many cases, his most expressive work remains unrivaled today. With his charisma, Onchi tended to the flame of the Sosaku Hanga movement during the dark years leading to and during the war by encouraging artists to produce creative prints for art’s sake. This design features a reclining nude, in the tradition of Manet's Olympia. Like Manet, Onchi's nude is unapologetic of her state. In fact, Onchi's nude goes even further, as this unique variant is depicted with pubic hair--not a conventional representation for nudes at this time. There is some bit of irony that an artist with deep roots in abstraction would choose to produce a print with such unapologetic realism. This impression is also noteworthy for the amount of attention Onchi has given both the white cloth and the nude's skin. The white cloth appears to have volume and a velvet-like texture while the woman's skin is a lifelike yellow white, further accentuating the realism of the work. Connoisseur's Note It is interesting to note that every single impression of this design appears different. Onchi did not believe in producing unified printed work; he saw printmaking as a creative process, not a mode of duplication, with each printing as an opportunity to express his emotional state at the moment. This particular unique variant impression is important due to its keen sense of realism which was shocking and emotionally triggering at the time of production.
	Notes (this edition)?:	The following information was taken from the original web listing of this artwork. Note that there may be some inaccuracies: Artist Onchi (1891-1955) View Artist Bio Series Title Bare Skin on White Cloth Date Of Work 1929 Publisher Dimensions 10.375 x 15.75 Condition Fine impression, color and condition. Notes Perhaps Onchi's most influential print. Extremely rare. Fine Mica Ground.