Artist
Shogo Okamoto

Description
Incredibly hand done copperplate etching print of a pair of fish. Shogo in all his fish making glory has the piece signed and is an edition of 77/150 - dated 1983.

Printmaker Shogo Okamoto was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1920. He graduated from the National Tokyo Academy of Fine Arts with a degree in oil painting. It wasn't until 1964 that he began studying etching and aquatint techniques, and in 1967 he held his first one-man show of prints. In 1969 he was invited to participate in the Nippon Hanga Kyokai's annual exhibition and by 1973 he had become a full member of the group.

The 1970s and 1980s proved to be Okamoto's most active period. In 1974 he was selected for inclusion in several prestigious exhibitions, including at the Musee national d'Art Moderne in Paris and Gallery Papier in Tokyo, and from 1974 to 1978 he regularly held solo exhibitions at the gallery of the Hendricks Art Collection, Ltd., in Bethesda, Maryland. His work was also exhibited in Canada, France, China. In 1983, he took at teaching position in China, as well. By the 1990s Okamoto scaled back his printmaking and little is known about his activity at this point. He died in Tokyo in 2001.

The history of this artwork comes from Japan, where I had found it at an antique shop close to a neighbouring shrine.. Some 90 minutes or so by subway from Tokyo. Like all my items - they speak to tradition, quality, craftsmanship, history and sense of place. Items that are one of a kind. Holding some sensibility of mystery while also existing as a functional object. Items to enrich your life - to share a story with friends or family. When you own this piece it then becomes a part of your story, the narrative of your own life.

Condition
Vintage, ca. 1983 Japan

Measurements
W 26.7 x H 31.5 CM