Rikio Takahashi  (Japanese, 1917-1999)

“All forms of Japanese culture are structured as a do, a way or path.  The prescribed path must be taken to approach these practices – kendo (the way of the sword), judo (the soft way of wrestling), shodo (the way of writing), kado (the way of flowers), kodo (the way of incense), and sado (the way of tea.)  However, there is no do in my work.  I am hoping to convey something true, hopefully not something false or pretentious.” -  Rikio Takahashi, 1998.

Rikio Takahashi was born in 1917 in Honjo Wakamiyacho, Tokyo into an artistic family, with both a father and uncle who were artists.  From 1949-1955 he was a student of Onchi Kōshirō and later, after WWII when he was conscripted as a photographer, he studied at the California Institute of Arts.  In 1963 Takahashi returned to the United States to work with Ken Tyler at the renowned Gemini print studio, a collaboration that followed a strong tradition of artistic exchange between America and Japan in the post-war period. 

As a sōsaku hanga artist, Takahashi broke from Japanese tradition by creating his prints in their entirety instead of engaging in the customary collaborative method.  Using thin water-based mineral pigments called suihi, he would overlap the distinct tones using carved plywood blocks.  Often Takahashi would choose a particular plank for its unique surface and use the natural variations in the wood to create a screen or veil-like layer.  He was especially adept at this subtle, partial overlay of one or more colors to create varied opacities, textures and a complexity of shapes. 

The Niwa and Kyoto series in particular evoke the imagery of a traditional Japanese garden.  A white border surrounds the enclosed shapes, indicative of trees, ponds, and rock formations.   Added to each composition is an amorphous form, reminiscent of a single Japanese character, which represents the living, bustling city outside the enclosed garden.

Combining the influences of abstract Modern art of the West and the traditional subjects of his native Japan, Takahashi’s delicately overlaid designs create an atmosphere of stillness and balance inspired by the changing of the seasons, subtleties of light, and the variation of form found in gardens and nature.