Kiyoshi Saito

Japanese printmaker Kiyoshi Saito contributed to the revival of Japanese woodblock printing through his woodblock prints with defined visual flatness. He rose to fame after winning first place at the Sao Paulo Biennale in 1951; years later, the artist was commissioned to create a woodblock print portrait of Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato that was then used as the cover for Time magazine. Initially an apprentice to learn sign painting, Saito later studied Western painting at the Hongō Painting Institute and taught himself woodblock printmaking. As an artist in the sōsaku hanga (creative print) movement which diverged from the creative processes at traditional publishing houses, his work emphasized artistic expression as it was self-drawn, self-carved, and self-printed. He exhibited with and was a member of Nihon Hanga Kyokai, the Japanese Print Association, and Zokei Hanga Kyokai, the Plastic Print Association. Prints such as Winter in Aizu (12) (1969) focused on plain forms, a noticeable showing of woodgrain, and elegant design full of color and texture.