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Clifton KarhuClifton Karhu Pagoda Print, 1960s/70sc. 1960s/70s
c. 1960s/70s
About the Item
Clifton Karhu (1927-2007)
Pagoda at Yasaka, c. 1960s/1970s
Woodblock Print
Sight: 11 x 14 1/2 in.
Framed: 18 1/2 x 22 3/4 x 1 in.
Signed lower right in the plate: C Karhu
Karhu was born to a Finnish American family in rural Minnesota, north of Duluth, on November 23, 1927. He graduated from high school in 1946, joined the U.S. Army, and served in Japan in the late 1940s. After his military service, he attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and worked as an educational counselor in Minnesota. In 1955, three years after the end of the American occupation of Japan (1945–1952), Karhu moved to Kyoto as a Lutheran missionary with his wife, Lois. There, he worked at Christian bookshops and as an English teacher and began painting in oil and watercolor for leisure.
Karhu increasingly adopted specific elements of what he perceived to be a Japanese lifestyle. He stopped wearing Western clothing and donned the kimono; spoke Japanese; visited geisha houses; and socialized by going out to drink sake. He also made and played the shakuhachi instrument, and created netsuke and carved seals – practices that reportedly earned him a reputation for being "committed (…) to the value of Japan's culture."
Karhu began to experiment with ukiyo-e woodblock printing in the early 1960s. His work presented everyday scenes of Kyoto and Kanazawa, in the style of architectural genre prints. Karhu depicted monuments, restaurants, residential views, geisha houses, and street scenes. Early in this stage of his career, Karhu sold prints mainly to foreigners. As his international reputation spread, his clientele became increasingly Japanese. By the early 1970s, Karhu's work was well-known within Japan itself, and he became the first non-Japanese member of the Japan Print Association. He was known to be stubborn about his art: he refused to accept criticism but criticized Japanese artists whose works resembled his, on occasions even suggesting that they were committing plagiarism. Karhu had a competitive edge and was known to declare his disdain for group exhibitions, insisting that his presence attracted patrons from whom other artists unfairly profited.
In the early 1980s, Karhu lived in Kyoto, and operated a studio where his apprentices performed artistic tasks under his direction, carving woodblocks by instruction. In the late 1980s, Karhu moved to Kanazawa permanently, separating from his wife Lois. After moving, Karhu began an eighteen-year relationship with his business manager, Michiko Miyake. Although this relationship continued until his death, Lois Karhu nevertheless remained crucial to his career as a consultant for his art business.
Bio sourced from Wikipedia.
- Creator:Clifton Karhu (1927 - 2007, American)
- Creation Year:c. 1960s/70s
- Dimensions:Height: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Width: 22.75 in (57.79 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:Good condition, not examined outside of the frame.
- Gallery Location:Larchmont, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2211213377772
Clifton Karhu
Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Clifton Karhu was one of the most acclaimed American woodblock artists to work in Japan. Though the son of two painters and artistically inclined from an early age, Karhu joined the military. Stationed at the American Navy base in Sasebo from 1946 to 1948, he fell in love with Japan. Upon his return to the United States, he attended the Minneapolis Art School (1950-1952) before returning to Japan in 1952, this time as a missionary of the Lutheran church. From Hiroshima to Kyoto, he and his wife sold bibles until he became disillusioned with the mission. Settling in Gifu prefecture, he returned to art, working in oils and watercolor. Karhu’s reputation grew swiftly, winning first prize at the Middle Pacific Art Group Exhibition, and held his first solo exhibition at Shin Gifu Gallery. In 1963, Karhu moved to Kyoto. Immersed in the city’s vibrant artistic community, he began a successful career in woodblock printmaking. His self-carved and self-printed works portray traditional style houses and architectural details. Deeply expressive, yet precise and geometric, Karhu's style earned him enormous popularity worldwide.When asked about his medium, he states: “In Kyoto the vertical and horizontal lines of the tile roofs and the latticed windows strike a special harmony, like something alive. In my prints of Kyoto, I always strive to express this human warmth. Since wood accounts for much of Kyoto’s beauty, it may also be the best way that beauty can be expressed - through woodblock prints.”
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