Matsumi Kanemitsu
Embrace (Recto); Abstract Composition Study (Verso)
1949
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Matsumi Kanemitsu
Embrace (Recto); Abstract Composition Study (Verso)
1949
Physical Qualities
Pen and black ink, watercolor, and black pastel on paper (Recto); watercolor (Verso), Sheet: 235 × 134 mm. (9 1/4 × 5 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of J. Blankfard Martenet
Object Number
2012.711.78
A loose tangle of black lines layered atop washes of color coalesces into two entwined bodies. Here, Kanemitsu merged representation and abstraction, creating a drawing that at first glance appears to be a celebration of line and tone for their own sake. The work only reveals its representational nature upon closer inspection.
Leslie Cozzi, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Matsumi Kanemitsu: Figure and Fantasy," May 14 - October 8, 2023.
Inscribed: Recto: upper right, in black ink: "M. Kanemitsu / 1950"; Verso: lower left, in graphite: "W/C, Pastel and Pen"
Markings: None
Artist
Matsumi Kanemitsu
1921–1991
born Odgen, UT 1922; died Los Angeles, CA 1992
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