(Above: An affinity for the nature of lemons is a recurring theme in Japanese artist Funasaka Yoshisuke’s work, as seen in
Edited by Randi Bjornstad
A new show opening at the White Lotus Gallery that opens March 15 and runs through April 27 celebrates the artistry of Japanese printmaker Funasaka Yoshisuke, who was born in Japan two years before the bombing of Pearl Harbor and who in his early 30s won a prestigious fellowship to study art in the United States and Europe.
Four years later, he began teaching printmaking and since then has been active in inviting foreign artists to Japan to study that country’s artistic disciplines.
Funasaka’s own art has several distinct themes, according to the gallerists at White Lotus — the lemons, holes, and linear design patterns — that he depicts singularly or in combination in many of his works.
He has been quoted describing his affinity for the lemon by saying simply, “I like the taste, I like the smell, I like the color — it represents freshness.”
My Space and My Dimension: M719. Woodblock and silkscreen print by Funasaka Yoshisuke.
Funasaka studied at the Tama University of Art in Tokyo and soon began showing his work in regional galleries in Japan before he was a prizewinner at the Tokyo International Print Biennial in 1970 and a fellowship from the Japanese government that encouraged artists to study abroad.
His prints are included in collections in the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, the British Museum in London, the Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia), the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Brooklyn Museum (New York City).
Space and Dimension: Woodblock and Silkscreen Prints at the White Lotus Gallery
When: March 15 through April 27, 2024
Where: 767 Willamette St., Eugene
Gallery hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Information: 541-345-3276 or online at wlotus.com
