<b>BUNGORO IN THE DRESSING ROOM</b>Jun&#39;Ichiro Sekino1947<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

Jun’ichiro Sekino was a long admirer of the Japanese dramatic arts and frequented both kabuki and bunraku puppet performances. The artist’s passion for the theatre yielded several personal friendships with some of the most celebrated performers of his time. His close proximity to these performances inspired Sekino to immortalize his friendships with some of the most iconic designs within Sosaku Hanga.

In this design, the artist presents the master puppeteer, Bungoro, backstage, preparing for a performance. Two puppets are strung at the ready while the master closely inspects one. The harsh light of the stage is shown breaking through the composition at left, filling the composition with a probing light that highlights the variety of textures and forms which therein and providing the composition depth and psychological complexity. 

Sekino has made every attempt to convey the performer and his artistic tools accurately; however, it is the manner in which this impression is printed that greatly contributes to the composition’s potency and drama. The entire composition is filled with a thick application of pigment that appears more akin to oil painting than print production. The way the pigment has been applied to the surface of the paper is bold, confident, and replete with artistic inspiration, breathing life into the figures—a fitting tribute to the spellbinding drama of bunraku.

Connoisseur's Note

This design is one of the artist’s most sought-after prints. This impression is among the earliest extant printings entirely executed by Sekino. The print bears the artist's earliest signature, “Zyun Sekino,” and predates any numbered edition. The scarcity of this impression is further bolstered by the highly expressive printing style that showcases the direct influence of Koshiro Onchi, the artist’s teacher at the time of production.