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Institut für Kunstgeschichte Ostasiens The Possibility of Prints: Onchi Kōshirō and the Early Abstract Art in Japan, 1910s–1930s

  • Montag, 2. November 2026, 19:00 Uhr
  • CATS · R.010.01.05 · Voßstraße 2 · 69115 Heidelberg
    • Prof. Dr. Stephanie Su, University of Colorado, Boulder / Ishibashi Foundation Visiting Professor

This talk explores the early development of abstraction in Japan through a case study of Onchi Kōshirō (1891–1955), focusing on his single-sheet prints, book designs, and photographs. As the leader of the Creative Print Movement, Onchi was instrumental in establishing the artistic value of prints and abstraction in Japan. He experimented with a wide range of mediums, materials, and techniques, pushing the conceptual and aesthetic boundaries of both printmaking and abstraction. Onchi’s work represents a significant yet understudied chapter in the history of modern Japanese art.

Onchi Kōshirō, Lyrique

  • Adresse

    Centrum für Asienwissenschaften und Transkulturelle Studien
    CATS Auditorium R.010.01.05 | 1. OG
    Voßstraße 2, Gebäude 4010
    69115 Heidelberg

  • Veranstaltungstyp

    Vortrag

This talk focuses on Onchi’s work from the 1910s to the 1930s, a period during which he produced some of the earliest abstract art and brought it to full fruition after the war. How did Onchi conceptualize the intellectual and aesthetic potentials of prints? How did his abstract works engage with the multi-media experiences, through which he fostered a community of artists, writers, and composers? What role did photography and natural history play in his practice? I argue that tactility and a revitalized tradition of printmaking played a crucial role in shaping the development of abstraction in Japan, revealing its global dimensions, aspirations, and contradictions.

English