A City Street in Early Summer

A descendant of well-to-do merchant ancestors and a native of the great port city of Kobe, Kawanishi was deeply attached to this city. In this print the artist depicts a lively street corner in the bright sunlight of early summer, re-creating the free and easy atmosphere of the city.

Like Hiratsuka Un'ichi, Kawanishi belonged to the early generation of "creative print" (sosaku hanga) artists; however, the styles of the two artists are vastly different. While Hiratsuka was a master of black and white, Kawanishi developed a unique pictorial style that juxtaposed primary colors in a mosaic-like pattern. Kawanishi's works contain no outlines, just fields of pure, vivid colors and bold black.