Hemmi Takashi

"Mermaids", 1919

Hemmi Takashi ( Japanese 逸 見 享 ; January 29, 1895 , born in Wakayama - October 19, 1944 ) was a Japanese woodcut artist of the Yōga direction and poet during the Taishō and Shōwa period .

life and work

Hemmi was born in Wakayama, went to Tokyo and enrolled at Tōkyō in a college in. During this time he saw an exhibition dedicated to the late Tanaka Kōichi ( 田中 恭 吉 ; 1892-1915). Tanaka, who was three years older than him, was also from Wakayama and was already known to Hemmi as a poet. Now he was encouraged to also deal with the woodcut. He studied the magazines “Today's Western Painting” ( 現代 の 洋 画 , Gendai no yōga ) and “The Mask” ( 仮 面 , Kamen ) and continued his autodidactic training.

Since Hemmi could not earn his living with woodcuts, he took a job in the design department of the Lion company. In 1919 he exhibited at the 1st exhibition of the Japanese Society for Creative Woodcut ( 日本 創作 版画 協会 , Nihon sōsaku hanga kyōkai ), and was also active in the “Japanese Society for Woodcut” ( 日本 版画 協会 , Nihon hanga kyōkai ). Still interested in poetry, he designed the cover for a collection of poems by his friend Ōte Takuji ( 大 手 拓 次 ; 1887–1934). He also created a series of woodcuts for the collection "New Hundred Views of Tokyo" ( 新 東京 百 景 , Shin Tōkyō hyakkei ).

In 2015, a comprehensive exhibition on the occasion of his 120th birthday took place in the “Wakayama Prefecture Museum of Modern Art” ( 和 歌 山 県 立 近代 美術館 , Wakayama kenritsu kindai bijutsukan ).

photos

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  Landscape, 1925

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  Tokyo in the rain, ca.1930

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  In the park, 1931

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  Landscape with Cacti, 1932

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  At the pier, 1942

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  At the pier

Remarks

1. ↑ The Lion company was founded in 1891 by Kobayashi Tomijirō (1852–1910) for the production of soap and other products. Today it has almost 6000 employees.
2. ↑ From the "New Hundred Views of Tokyo".
3. ↑ From Hemmi's book "Suiin-fu" ( 水 韻 譜 ), 1942.

literature

• Smith, Lawrence: Modern Japanese Prints. 1912-1989. Cross River Press, 1994. ISBN 1-55859-871-5 .
• Merrit, Helen: Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints. The Early Years. University of Hawaii Press, 1990. ISBN 0-8248-1200-X .

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . So Hemmi is the family name, Takashi the first name.