AKIYAMA Iwao

Born: 1921 in Oita, Kyushu, then lived in Chiba Prefecture, died 2014
Medium: Woodblock

A student at Taiheiyo Art School, Mr. Akiyama studied under the great woodblock master Shiko Munakata. The artist is famous for creating woodcut images of both animals and human figures, usually rendered in a somewhat whimsical and naive-seeming fashion. Another hallmark is the use of relatively coarse folk-papers which reveal bits of brown bark from the mulberry bush.

Often, Akiyama evokes innocence and playfulness in his designs, giving an owl or other animals human attributes. Some prints will incorporate philosophical haiku poems. Taneda Santoka (1882-1940) was a revered itinerant Zen Buddhist monk, whose work is often included in Akiyama's prints. One might see the calligraphy of these poems boldly presented with a lonely priest climbing a hill, a humorous bull, or a pensive nude maiden.

Long a beloved artist in Japan, the Ren Brown Collection is pleased to present Mr. Akiyama's first major US exhibit, in collaboration with Scriptum.


Collections:
National Gallery, Victoria, Australia
British Museum, London
Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art, Israel

Exhibitions:
Japan Print Association, Tokyo
CWAJ Exhibition, Tokyo (since 1966)
Solo shows throughout Japan
Seattle
Bodega Bay, California