Ryohei Tanaka (Japanese, 1933 - 2019) (also Tanaka Ryōhei) was born in 1933 in Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Tanaka first studied printmaking under Professor Furuno Yoshio in 1963 at the age of thirty and was largely self-taught. He chose copperplate etching as his primary medium at a time when traditional woodblock printmaking was particularly dominant in Japan. Tanaka spent his entire life in Takatsuki, a suburban city between Kyoto and Osaka, the landscape of which was the main subject matter of his work. He is known for his highly detailed etchings of the built structures and nature in his suburban life. Working from quick sketches done onsite, Tanaka translated the barns, houses, trees, and rice paddies into hyperrealistic detail in the plate. During his lifetime, Tanaka completed over 760 original prints. He completed his final etching at age eighty and passed away six years later in 2019. His work can be found in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and others.
"Tight patterns of terra cotta roofing holds weight behind the free flowing movement of branches and leaves. Clean, bright streaks of rain cut through dense foliage. Soft wood patterns meet smooth, solid stone. In Summer Room - B, we see Tanaka’s rare use of color invite us to the bright outdoors from the quiet interior space and sleeping cat. His signature thatched roofs appear in several of these pieces, especially as the focus of Gathering Roofs."
- Davidson Galleries
Read more from Ryohei Tanaka's Artist Feature here.
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