KYOSHI SAITO (1907-1997), 'Steady glaze, Paris', woodblock, 54cm x 40cm, signed and numbered in pencil, 37/120. - Sold for £700

At Lots Road, we always offer an eclectic assortment of excellent lots but highlighting at our Fine Auction on 2nd October 2022 was a rare piece from Kiyoshi Saito, a celebrated Japanese printmaker. Saito's work captures people with its compositional clarity and artistic simplicity, expressing himself and life around him in a fascinating way.

(See image to the right).

His oeuvre is connected to the Japanese practice of sosaku-hanga, meaning "creative prints," a 20th-century movement motivated by self-expression accomplished through hand-made processes. He achieved recognition for his Winter in Aizu series when issued in 1938, and subsequently was among the first Japanese artists to place at the São Paulo Biennale in 1951. Born in Aizubange, Japan on November 14, 1997, Saito died on November 14, 1997 in Tokyo, Japan at the age of 90. - http://www.artnet.com/artists/kiyoshi-saito/

“The medium the artist is using gives the Print a layered depth, shallow but layered, in another medium the image would be to immediate, as a woodblock the viewer is drawn in by the layers of techniques and the monochromatic shades. The picture is about “looking emotionally” asking a question about how you see, the subjects head is facing away from you though the body is straight on, you feel that you want to draw the figures gaze to you, why don’t they look at you ? You want their attention, their interest.” – Nick Carter, Senior Auctioneer

If you would like further information regarding the lot or indeed any other lots, please contact Lots Road Auctions on email at info@lotsroad.com or by telephone on 020 7376 6800.