Aoyama Masaharu (Japanese, 1893-1969), Kitten and String

Woodblock print, wood grain ground with small kitten with bell around its neck about to pounce on some string, signed M. Aoyama to lower left margin, artist's seal to upper right corner, presented under glass over a gray mat in a silver and black wood frame.

Frame dimensions 19 1/4 x 14 1/4 x 1 1/2 in., Sight size 16 1/4 x 11 5/8 in.

Collection of Michael and Ingrid Kelly, Worldwide Gallery Antiques, Fredericksburg, Virginia

Aoyama Masaharu was a painter and woodblock print artist associated with the sosaku hanga (creative print) movement. Born in Saitama Prefecture, he studied traditional ink painting at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and later worked at the Imperial Household Museum. Aoyama produced many of his woodblock prints according to the sōsaku hanga ideal of the artist designing, carving, and printing the work himself. His subjects frequently include birds, animals, landscapes, and scenes from nature, rendered with a distinctive modern sensibility rooted in traditional Japanese painting.

Overall very good condition; some light toning to paper; not examined outside of the frame.