Takahashi Shotei: Japan's 20th-Century Woodblock Artist
Takahashi Shotei [高橋松亭], Born Hiroaki, was a 20th-century Japanese woodblock artist.
He was born in Tokyo in 1871 and early began his artistic career. After studying art he and Terazaki Kogyo founded the Japan Youth Painting Society in 1889. A few years later and as a successful artist, Shotei was recruited by Shōzaburō Watanabe to contribute to the Shin Hanga [New Prints] art movement in Japan.
Watanabe helped to still the western hunger of Ukiyo-e, woodblock printings. We already covered many famous Japanese artists that did traditional Japanese artworks. Artists like Hiroshige were the inspiration for Shin Hanga that tried to stick to the old craftsmanship.
Shotei died in 1945 - against the rumours not in the bombings of Hiroshima - from pneumonia.
