Tamiji Kitagawa
Print artist
Printmaker Tamiji Kitagawa: An Artist Who Captured the Soul of Mexico
Tamiji Kitagawa (1894-1989) was a Japanese Western-style painter and printmaker who was strongly influenced by the Mexican mural movement and is known for his powerful style full of vitality. He is also highly regarded as a pioneer in children's art education.
Career
Born in Shizuoka Prefecture, Kitagawa dropped out of Waseda University and moved to the United States in 1914. He studied painting at the Art Students League of New York and interacted with artists such as Yasuo Kuniyoshi. [4][5] He later moved to Mexico in 1922, where he developed close friendships with Diego Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros, the giants of the mural movement. In Mexico, he dedicated himself to children's art education at a local outdoor art school and served as its principal.
Upon returning to Japan in 1936, he became a member of the Nika Association through an introduction by Tsuguharu Fujita and actively exhibited his works in Japan. After the war, he settled in Seto City, Aichi Prefecture, where he continued his artistic activities while also contributing significantly to the development of art education by establishing the Children's Art Research Institute.
Evaluation of his works
Minji Kitagawa's works are deeply rooted in his experiences in Mexico. Characterized by thick black outlines and unique deformation, his works powerfully depict the vitality of humans and animals. His works combine a warm gaze toward ordinary people with a sharp critical spirit toward society.
In printmaking, he employed a variety of techniques, including woodblock, linocut, copperplate, and lithography, leaving behind a large body of work. [8] Based on the techniques he mastered in Mexico, he explored new possibilities of expression distinct from oil painting.
His achievements have been highly praised both domestically and internationally, and in 1986, he was awarded the Águila de México, the highest honor bestowed upon foreigners by the Mexican government. [2] Kitagawa Minji's works remain a rare presence in the history of modern Japanese art, conveying the spirit of Mexican art and its people, and continue to captivate many people to this day.
