After the Bath (Tokyo) 1946

Koshiro Onchi’s ‘After the Bath (Tokyo)’ gives the impression of being cut into existence, like a woodblock, in a carefully planned performance. I imagine Onchi, the poet of the Japanese print movement, standing before his block, contemplating the balance between representation and abstraction. You can almost feel the tension in the air. He’s balancing the weight of tradition with a modernist urge to experiment and push against the grain. What would it be like to carve the delicate lines of the woman’s face, the intricate patterns of her kimono? Look at the way he renders the figure against the deep blue background, creating depth and flatness at once. See how the gesture of the whole piece embraces imperfection? Onchi, like many painters, was deeply influenced by the dialogue between East and West. We see him synthesizing these influences into something uniquely his own, carving out a space for personal expression. A space for poetry and the joy of experimentation.