Photograph or Moving Image by JapanesePhotographer/Artist
Inventory Number
84-PHJ-02C
Geijutsu Shashin (Art Photography) was a popular style of photography from the Taisho Era (1912–1926) to the early part of the Showa Era (1926–1989). Its emergence was partly due to the influence of late-19th century Pictorialism in Europe, with which it shares the aim of achieving painting-like imagery.
One of the printing processes favored by the proponents of Pictorialism and Geijutsu Shashin was gum bichromate. Photographer Umesaka Ori was known to excel at the technique. The soft gradation seen in this work, reminiscent of ink painting, is an effect unique to gum bichromate, which involves repeated printing and developing to create a multi-layered image. Umesaka’s interest in traditional Japanese painting can also be seen clearly in the fine gradation, the choice of the bamboo forest motif, and the composition that emphasizes the contrast between the foreground and the background.
(MATSUNAGA Shintaro)
Geijutsu Shashin (Art Photography) was a popular style of photography from the Taisho Era (1912–1926) to the early part of the Showa Era (1926–1989). Its emergence was partly due to the influence of late-19th century Pictorialism in Europe, with which it shares the aim of achieving painting-like imagery.
One of the printing processes favored by the proponents of Pictorialism and Geijutsu Shashin was gum bichromate. Photographer Umesaka Ori was known to excel at the technique. The soft gradation seen in this work, reminiscent of ink painting, is an effect unique to gum bichromate, which involves repeated printing and developing to create a multi-layered image. Umesaka’s interest in traditional Japanese painting can also be seen clearly in the fine gradation, the choice of the bamboo forest motif, and the composition that emphasizes the contrast between the foreground and the background.
(MATSUNAGA Shintaro)