Bairei and Seiho, As Seen Through Woodblock Prints　Sep.6.2025[Sat]－Oct.26.2025[Sun]

This exhibition focuses on printed works by Takeuchi Seiho (1864-1942) and his teacher Kono Bairei (1844-1895).

　　Though prints by the two artists have not garnered much attention compared to their hand-drawn works, both painters were active in this field too. For example, Bairei produced many woodcut picture books featuring bird-and-flower paintings and other themes from 1881 onwards. These received high acclaim both domestically and internationally as drawing manuals, design books and export articles, for example, and they had a major influence on later generations. Bairei’s Album of Flowers and Birds (No. 2) reveals how Bairei skillfully incorporated the styles of nishiki-e (multi-colored woodblock prints), a popular genre in Japan from early-modern times.

　　Seiho also created many prints that splendidly recreated the rich expressive power and brushwork of his hand-painted works, with one prime example being Collected Masterpieces of Takeuchi Seiho (No. 19), an exceptional picture album produced using state-of-the-art printing technologies. In this way, Seiho made full use of the ability of modern woodblock prints to produce high-quality reproductions of actual paintings.

　　We hope you enjoy the richly-individualist works of these two master painters.