Jealousy (Three chickens)

Description

Saitō Kiyoshi
Japan, ca. 1907–1997
Jealousy (Three Chickens) (left)
Shōwa period (1926–89)
1952
Color woodblock print on paper
Gift of the artist, 1959/2.9

Steady Gaze (Cat) (right)
Shōwa period (1926–89)
1956
Color woodblock print on paper
Gift of Mrs. Caroline I. Plumer for the James Marshall Plumer
Collection, 1980/2.208

A painter turned printmaker, Saitō Kiyoshi is one of the most
recognizable names of the Creative Print Movement (Sōsaku Hanga)
that revolutionized Japanese printmaking. Departing from the
traditional division of labor in older forms of printmaking, Sōsaku
Hanga artists were involved in the entire process, from design, to
wood-carving, to printing. By exploring every step themselves, they
began to push the boundaries of printmaking, and their works
became more spontaneous and expressive.

Saitō’s work, with its expansive range of subjects and genres, is
characteristic of the Sōsaku Hanga movement. In the humorous
Jealousy, two chickens flank a rooster who makes eye contact with
the viewer. Saito’s playful shapes, lines, and forms convey emotion,
giving a sense of the animals being “caught in the act” and breaking
the fourth wall.

Steady Gaze depicts an anthropomorphized cat with a mischievous
expression. The woodgrain background and monochrome palette
imbue the scene with a sense of confusion and mystery.

Summer 2023 Gallery Rotation 
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Saitô Kiyoshi
Japan, 1907–1997
Jealousy (Three Chickens)
Shôwa period (1926–89)
1952
Color woodblock print on paper Gift of the artist, 1959/2.9