Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Nude, 1940, Photogravure for sale at Pamono

Description

Vintage photo gravure by the Japanese/American photographer Yasuo Kuniyoshi, circa 1940. Wood frame with passepartout and high quality museum’s glass. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful patina. Materials: Paper Wood Museum’s glass Dimensions Picture: W 24.4 cm x H 30.9 cm Frame: D 4.2 cm x W 38 cm x H 46.8 cm About the artist: According to an autobiographical account written in 1945, Yasuo Kuniyoshi arrived in America in 1906 as a teenager from Japan, alone and with no definite plans, “without sentimentalities or tears and with a brave, adventurous spirit.” After landing in Washington state, he worked at odd jobs, learned English, and eventually made his way to Los Angeles, where he enrolled in classes and a teacher encouraged him to go to art school. He moved to New York in 1910, studying painting at the Art Students’ League. Around 1919 he began to photograph works of art to earn a living. Although painting remained his primary medium, in 1935 Kuniyoshi acquired a small-format, 35mm camera that allowed him greater freedom and mobility. He began experimenting with angles and unconventional points of view to make more creative photographs. Soon after, he set up a darkroom at his studio. Between 1935 and 1939 he made more than four hundred photographs, frequently basing paintings on these photographic images.