Shiro Kasamatsu was a Japanese painter, print designer and printmaker active in the 20th century.
Though he initially studied with Kaburagi Kiyokata —a master of the bijin-ga movement, which focused on figurative subjects — Kasamatsu chose landscape as his primary subject.
Kasamatsu is known particularly for his delicately finessed portrayals of rain, mist, snow and the subtle play of light in night scenes.
Like his contemporaries Kawase Hasui and Hiroshi Yoshida, Kasamatsu’s landscapes may hold particular appeal to European and American collectors because of his incorporation of influences from Western art.
In addition to his prints done in the traditional shin-hanga manner — in which the artist collaborates with woodblock cutters, printmakers and publishers — Kasamatsu also did work in the Sosaku-Hanga, or “creative” manner, in which the artist cuts and prints his own woodblocks. In Kasamatsu’s case, the latter were done largely for his own enjoyment rather than for commercial release.
There is an article on some of Kasamatsu’s blocks and process on Ukiyoe-Gallery.
In viewing the prints in the sources listed below, notably on Ukiyo-e.org, you will see what appear to be repeated entries. These are actually listings of different impressions from the same blocks, some of which are in different states or printed in different color ranges. Some of the images are of better quality than others, depending on the condition of the print and the quality of the photograph. I find it worth continued digging to find the versions of the prints I like best.
