Ohara Shoson (Koson, Hoson) 1877-1945

Japanese-style painter and printmaker. Ohara Shoson began as a student of Suzuki Koson. He painted flora and fauna between 1895-1902 becoming recognized as a "Nihonga" painter in the 'Kacho-ga' (nature print) genre. During the Russo-Japanese war he produced a few 'Senso-e' (war prints). The majority of his early prints (1900 -1912) were published by Kokkeido and Daikokuya and were designed for the foreign market. All were signed "Koson". Between 1912-1926 he again devoted himself to painting. Using the name 'Shoson', he returned to the woodblock medium, collaborating with Watanabe. Shoson did produce some prints using the name "Hoson' which were published by Kawaguchi between 1930-1931, but the majority of his prints were published by Watanabe.

While the artists' prints had always been sold abroad, his success in the West was assured as a result of the 1930 and 1936 Toledo Museum exhibitions. More prints by Shoson were sold during these shows than any other artists' due to their artistic/decorative nature and the fact that they sold for one-quarter the price of the works of Yoshida and others. Shoson reached his peak in the mid 1930's. His work is realistic, based mainly on his own sketches and watercolors. It is estimated that he produced more than 450 designs of birds.

Ohara Shoson Collections:
Cincinnati, Fine Arts Museum California, Honolulu, Minneapolis, Newark, Staatliche University.

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Two Frolicing Monkeys   Eight White-fronted Geese in Flight; full Moon behind   A Pair of Mallards in Flight; Full Moon behind   Two Geese Swimming near Shore   Wisteria   A Gallinule beneath Flowering Lotus   A Tit on Pink Magnolia   A Pair of Pheasants in the Snow   Rooster and Hen   Rooster, Hen and Chick under Banana Tree   Diving Mallard   A pair of Deer, Maple Branches, and Moon

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Artist Bio Index:

18th & 19th C. Artists:				Hiroshige Chikanobu Eisen Eizan Gakutei Hirosada Hiroshige II Hokusai Kunichika Kunisada Kuniyoshi Kyosai (Gyosai) Shunsho Toyokuni I Toyokuni III Yoshitoshi
20th C. Artists:				Bertha Lum Charles Bartlett Chiura Obata Clifton Karhu Cyrus Leroy Baldridge Elizabeth Keith Hajime Namiki Haku Maki Hashiguchi Goyo Helen Hyde Hiroshi Yoshida Ito Shinsui Joichi Hoshi Katsunori Hamanishi Kawase Hasui Kawase Hasui   (Posthumous) Kiyoshi Saito Koshiro Onchi Ohara Shoson   (Koson) Paul Jacoulet Ryohei Tanaka Sadao Watanabe Shigeki Kuroda Shinichi Nakazawa Shiro Kasamatsu Yamamoto Shoun Sugiura Tadashi Nakayama Takahashi Hiroaki   (Shotei) Toko Shinoda Tomoo Inagaki Toraji Ishikawa Torii Kotondo Toshi Yoshida Tsuchiya Koitsu Tsuruya Kokei Umetaro Azechi Unichi Hiratsuka Yoshitoshi Mori Yuji Hiratsuka
China Trade:				Auguste Borget Chinese School Edward Hildebrandt Thomas Allom William Alexander
Modern Originals:				Carol Jessen
Natural History:				J. James Audubon Mark Catesby John Gould
Antique Maps:				Conrad Lotter Gilles Robert Gerard de Jode Henricus Hondius Jan Huygen John Tallis Matthaeus Seutter Nicolas Sanson

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