Kiyoshi Saitō (斎藤 清, Saitō Kiyoshi, April 27, 1907 – November 14, 1997, born in Aizubange, Fukushima) was a sōsaku-hanga artist in 20th-century Japan. In 1938, he issued his first prints in his now famous "Winter in Aizu" series. Saitō was one of the first Japanese printmaking artists to have won at the São Paulo Biennale in 1951.[1]
Saitō's early works depict villages populated with local Japanese with a high degree of realism and three-dimensionality. His more mature works merge modern elements with Japanese tradition. His prints feature architecture and plant life flattened in two-dimensionality.
Saito's work is known for fusing artistic Eastern and Western ideas and styles. He was inspired and influenced by Western artists including Paul Gauguin, Henry Matisse, and Pablo Picasso while also keeping to the long tradition of Japanese wood-block printmaking.
He spent time in Paris, and did a series there. Kiyoshi Saito's woodblock prints titled “Autumn” are considered extremely rare and valuable.[2]
Pop Cultural Influence
Kiyoshi Saito's works have influenced a variety of art and film today including the animation, Kubo and the Two Strings. Director Travis Knight has described the artist's blend of Western and Eastern influences in his artwork as inspiration for the film and said that Saito was the "key visual artist[3]" in the artistic development of the Oscar Nominated Film.
Influences from the artist's work can be seen subtly in Knight's animated film. One example of this is comparing Saito's print, Red Poppies (1948)[4] to scenes in the movie where the main character encounters an underwater forest of monstrous, hypnotic eyeballs known as "The Garden of Eyes[5]". When comparing the original art to the scenes in the film, Saito's influence can be clearly seen.
Further reading
Harada, Minoru. "The Life and Works of Kiyoshi Saito". Tokyo: Abe Shuppan, 1990.
Paget, Rhiannon. "Saito Kiyoshi: Graphic Awakening". New York, London: Scala Art Publishers, Inc. 2021.
