Kawakami Sumio - Paperback

by Cristina Berna (Author), Eric Thomsen (Author)

Kawakami Sumio (10 April 1895 - 1 September 1972) was a Japanese painter and print maker. He is also known by his real name Chosei Kawakami. He was one of the most original print artists in this period. He is especially known for his Nan-ban - Southern Foreigners" prints.

Sumio Kawakami moved to Canada in 1917. He spent a year in Canada and the US, working at various jobs, that included a salmon cannery in Alaska and house painting in Seattle.

Kawakami began exploring printmaking upon his return from North America. He actively engaged with various sosaku hanga associations, regularly exhibiting his works with these groups. He primarily produced single-sheet prints and created 33 limited edition books, which were largely self-carved and self-printed. In 1921 he found a position as an English teacher at Tochigi Prefectural Utsunomiya Junior High School.

Kawakami said he was mostly self-taught, though he had attended an art school in his childhood. His early woodcuts were made in the usual manner, carving multiple blocks for the outlines and colors. He then adopted a method of carving only the keyblock while brushing on colors by hand. His artistic style is characterized by irony and humor.

Kawakami was against Japanese militarism; during the Second World War he lost his job as teacher because the Ministry of Education banned the teaching of English language in schools. His main income at the time was from the sale of his books.