Artist: Nishijima Katsuyuki (b.1945)
Title: Bunnosuke in Snow
Date: c1970
Edition: 1st Ed., 77/500
Sig./Seal: Nishijima Seal, Self-Published
Condition: Excellent
Size: 13.5 x 18.5              $395
 
Nishijima was born in 1945 in Yamaguchi Prefecture. He began studying woodblock printing with Mikumo publishing house in Kyoto at the age of 19. Early in his career he experimented with stencil dyeing and various forms of printing before focusing on woodblock printmaking in the Sosaku Hanga or “creative print” style. Nishijima met with success early on. From 1964 to 1968 while he studied the art of Woodblock Prints in the studio of the Mikumo publishing house, he also began exhibiting his work with the Kyoto independent artists association and in solo exhibits as well. From 1972 he focused his immense talents on limited edition woodblocks using traditional old buildings as his main subject matter. 
Katsuyuki Nishijima’s work is popular and accessible, portraying a romantic, traditional vision of Japan: old buildings with umbrellas, rain, snow and wind, and even a contemporary take on the series “Sixty-Nine Stations of the Kisokaido” by Hiroshige. His mastery of intriguing angles and the intricate play of light and color in his work distinguish Nishijima among Japanese contemporary woodblock print artists.