ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES - ONCHI KOSHIRO

Onchi Koshiro, a Japanese printmaker and poet, was born in Tokyo in 1891. Early in his career he was greatly influenced by Yumagi Takehisa, who was a painter of highly popular sentimental portraits of women. In 1914-15 he founded a magazine of poetry and woodblock prints called Tsukuhae - "Moonglow." This was the venue he first published many of his abstract prints. He was one of the pioneers of Japanese abstract art and throughout his life he played a large role in the popularization of prints and improvement of the state of printmaking. It is also said that he was a great admirer of Munch and Kandinsky. Onchi Koshiro died in 1955.