Sound of a Bell, Ishikawa Toraji

Artwork Overview

Ishikawa Toraji, Sound of a Bell
Ishikawa Toraji, Sound of a Bell
Ishikawa Toraji
Sound of a Bell
1934, Showa period (1926–1989)
Sound of a Bell, 1934, Showa period (1926–1989)
Portfolio/Series title: Ten Types of Female Nudes
Where object was made: Japan
Material/technique: color woodcut
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 297 x 380 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 375 x 490 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 11 11/16 x 14 15/16 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 14 3/4 x 19 5/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 20 x 25 in
Credit line: Museum purchase: Lucy Shaw Schultz Fund
Accession number: 1995.0004
Not on display
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Archive Label date unknown: A yōga-ka (Western-style painter), Ishikawa Toraji travelled to France and the United States in the opening years of this century. His early works mainly featured women, and much of his later work took the form of landscapes in a light, impressionistic style. His output of prints was small and mainly based on his paintings. A notabel exception, however, is the series of ten nudes that includes this print. This series, specifically designed as woodblock prints and published by the artist himself, is mostly responsible for Ishikawa's fame in the West. The objects and setting in the print are characteristically Asian, and the high perspective and flattened treatment of space recall traditional Japanese prints. Despite the lack of modelling for the figures, Ishikawa's training as a yōga-ka can be seen in the sense of fullness and solidity of the woman's body. The combination of Japanese and Western interests in this work reflects Japanese society at the time.