woodblocking – Humoring the Goddess

Tirzah Garwood (1908–1951) was a multi-talented artist and designer whose life was tragically cut short when she died of breast cancer aged only 42.

Eileen Lucy “Tirzah” Garwood was a British wood-engraver, painter, paper marbler, author, and a member of the Great Bardfield Artists.

According to Brighton & Hove Museums, Garwood “is one of the most original and distinctive figures of twentieth century British art

Her brilliance as a wood engraver and maker of marbled papers was acknowledged in her lifetime, but her early death meant that few were able to enjoy her captivating, collaged house ‘portraits’ and enigmatic oil paintings.

She prompts us to see the amusing, absurd and uncanny in the detail of everyday life.Garwood’s engravings were imaginatively conceived and precisely executed. They abounded in wry observations and witty juxtapositions.More of Tirzah Garwood’s marvelous wood cuts can be found at https://artuk.org/discover/stories/tirzah-garwood-unveiling-a-forgotten-visionary/

Yasuji Inoue (1864-1889) was born in Tokyo, the son of a dry-goods merchant in Asakusa.Inoue became a student of Kobayashi Kiyochika, master of traditional Ukiyo-e painting and printmaking.Drawing heavily on Kiyochika’s style and experimentation with Western art elements, Inoue’s own experiment with light and shadows reflected the influence of French Impression, a departure from traditional ukiyo-e.He produced large-sized Kōsen-ga pictures that faithfully followed the painting style of Kiyochika.In 1884 Inoue changed his style and turned to conventional nishiki-e (a type of Japanese multi-colored woodblock printing) triptychs depicting the sights and events of the day in the traditional heroic style.Sadly, he died prematurely in 1889 at the age of twenty-five.At the time of his death he showed great promise in the woodblock print field and would have likely continued as a major artist in Japanese woodblock prints.One can only imagine the heights he would have reached if life had been kinder.More of Yasuji Inoue’s artwork can be found at https://ukiyo-e.org/artist/inoue-yasuji and https://moderntokyotimes.com/japan-art-and-inoue-yasuji-art-of-tokyo/.