Unichi Hiratsuka: Oura Church in the Moonlight (SOLD)

Artist: Unichi Hiratsuka (1895-1997)
Title: Oura Church on a Moonlit Night
Date: 1948

The spire of the Basilica of the Twenty-six Holy Martyrs of Japan rises above Nagasaki Bay, contrasted against a deep purple/blue evening sky. Bathed in moonlight, the reflected yellow-green colors and deeply angled perspective of this Catholic church create a strong, yet slightly lonely, feeling, especially since most of the composition is the fathomless sky. Oura church is said to be the oldest church in Japan, finished in 1864. Hiratsuka was a leading figure in the sosaku hanga movementand almost all of his later works (after ca. 1955)  were done in black and white. He is one of the leading figures of the sosaku hanga movement, and even taught wood carving to Shiko Munakata. Scarce.

SKU: HTC011S