Fujimaki Yoshio (藤牧義夫)
Yoshio FUJIMAKI (January 19, 1911 - disappeared on September 2, 1935) was a woodblock artist came from Tatebayashi City in Gunma Prefecture.
His family ran a convenience goods store at their house, and Tenko FUJINO, who was seven years senior to Yoshio FUJIMAKI, lived two doors away from there.
His father had been a teacher for a long time, also successively filled the post of elementary school principal, and was accomplished at drawing pictures and calligraphy under the name of 'Sangaku.'
Since he was in the elementary school, he did so well in Art that it surprised those around him.
When he was in Tokyo, he studied commercial designs and the like, while established a unique woodblock style under the influence of German expressionism.
The 'picture scroll of the Sumida River' is one of his most important works and the total length of the whole four volumes is 60 meters.
He disappeared in Tokyo at the age of 24. His grave is in the Horin-ji Temple in Asahi-cho, Tatebayashi City.
History
On January, 19, 1911, he was born as the youngest son (fourth son) to the father Minoshichi and mother Taka at the address of 1006, Tatebayashi-cho, Oura County, Gunma Prefecture (present Shiromachi in Tatebayashi City). In 1913, his mother Taka died. In 1917, he entered Tatebayashi City Dai-ichi (first) elementary school. In 1919, his father remarried Masa, his mother's real younger sister. In 1923, he graduated from the elementary school course. In 1925, he graduated from the advanced course, and in September, his father died. In 1926, he came up to Tokyo, counting on his elder sister who had married and lived there. He frequently visited the Ueno Library and studied commercial designs and the like. He completed the self bound book 'the complete works of Sangaku: Vol. 1' in which he wrote his father's biography.
In 1928, he was employed at the Uematsu design studio in Ginza. In 1931, he submitted 'Gado-shita no supaku' (spark under a railroad bridge) (wood-block printing) to the ninth Exhibition of Shunyokai. He submitted 'Ukechi no Yoru' (Night in Ukechi) (wood-block printing) to the first exhibition of the Japan Print Association. In 1932, he attended a meeting for founding a new group of woodblock artists held at the house of Tadashige ONO, and released his 'Self-Portrait' (wood-block printing) in the Journal 'Shin Hanga' (New woodblock print) issue 1. In 1933, he submitted 'Kyuyujo' (a fuel depot) (wood-block printing) to the fourteenth Japan Art Academy Exhibition (Teiten) and the printing was selected. In 1934, he went home in Tatebayashi, and drawn Jonuma (Jo marsh) like a picture scroll.
In 1935, he completed the whole set of volumes of 'picture scroll of the Sumida River.'
He suffered from neurosis caused by poverty and overwork.
In April, he released 'Jidai ni ikiyo, Jidai wo koeyo' (Keep up with the times, Be ahead of the times) (essay) and 'Shirahige Bashi' (Shirahige Bridge) (wood-block printing). In June, he held a one-man show at the Tokyo-Do gallery in Kanda, Tokyo (Chiyoda Ward). In September, he visited Tadashige ONO in Mukojima and presented his wood-block printing to Ono, mentioning that he was going to visit his elder sister's house in Asakusa Kojima-cho and disappeared. He was 24 years old.
Important Works
1931: 'Gado-shita no supaku' (spark under a railroad bridge) (wood-block printing)
1931: 'Ukechi no Yoru' (Night in Ukechi) (wood-block printing)
1932: 'Self-Portrait' (wood-block printing)
1933: 'Kyuyujo' (a fuel depot) (wood-block printing, in the possession of the Tatebayashi City the First reference hall)
1933: 'Shirahige Bashi' (Shirahige Bridge) (wood-block printing)
1933: 'Jonuma no Fuyu' (Winter at Marsh Jonuma) (in the possession of the Gunma Museum of Art, Tatebayashi)
1934: 'Sekiyo' (evening sun) (wood-block printing) (in the possession of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)
1934: "Tsuki" multi-color woodblock print (The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama)
1935: The whole set of volumes of the 'picture scroll of the Sumida River' (in the possession of the Tatebayashi City the First reference hall)