Kaoru SAITO 斎藤 カオル ✿

Kaoru SAITO

斎藤　カオル Born in Kanagawa , Japan 1931.
His detailed works in mezzotint have been shown in many exhibitions all over the world.
His masterful mezzotints reflect a nostalgic, neo-romantic view of Japan.
Kaoru Saito, born 1931, is one of the most accomplished Japanese mezzotint artists , who often depicts beautiful women in in his prints.
Saito was born in Kanagawa prefecture in 1931. He studied fine art under Tsuruta Goro and Arai from 1948 until 1950. The artist is a member of Shunyo-kai, an important Japanese association of printmakers.
The depiction of beautiful women has been a special subject of Japanese printmaking for centuries. Utamaro Kitagawa (1750-1806), for example, is the best known for this genre called 'bijin-e', images of beautiful women.
Kaori Saito combines an old, traditional Japanese theme and a Western technique, mezzotint. The traditional Japanese woodblock print technique does not allow such a degree of details and gradation. The mezzotint technique is much better for these close to photo-realistic images with intensive light and shadow effects. Kaoru Saito's female images have a compelling touch of romanticism and of slightly sensuality.