Japanese Mezzotint of a Seated Woman (Ushiro Muki / Looking Away) – Kaoru Saito, 1976

Artist: Kaoru Saito (1931–2021)
Title: Ushiro Muki (Looking Away)
Medium: Mezzotint
Year: 1976
Edition: Artist's Proof (A.P.)
Image size: Please inquire
Paper size: Please inquire
Condition: Very good vintage condition; light, even toning to the sheet consistent with age.
Signed: Pencil signed, titled, and dated by the artist.

Notes:
Kaoru Saito was one of Japan's foremost practitioners of mezzotint, a demanding intaglio process capable of producing exceptionally rich blacks and subtle tonal gradations. In Ushiro Muki ("Looking Away"), a solitary seated figure emerges from darkness with remarkable quietness and restraint. The discarded garment in the foreground introduces a subtle narrative, while the contrast between luminous skin and the deep black background gives the composition an almost sculptural presence. It is a print that rewards slow looking, revealing its richness through light, shadow, and beautifully controlled tonal transitions.

Keywords: Kaoru Saito, mezzotint, Japanese print, female figure, contemplative art, monochrome, black and white, figurative art, vintage Japanese print, artist proof, quiet interior, contemporary Japanese print