Toko Shinoda (1913-2021), one of the foremost Japanese artists of the 20th Century.

 

She was born at a time when higher education for women was not a common practice. She studied calligraphy with her father and then delved into the study of Chinese and Japanese literary texts. Frequently, lines of classical and contemporary poetry make their way into her works.

 

Toko-san considers herself an abstract artist, using calligraphy as a source of inspiration. With a touch of Ming dynasty red, she enlivened the work and a powerful energy emanates from the composition.

 

Her works have been acquired by museums around the globe.

 

Quote from The Business Times of Singapore in 2014

 

“The color of the ink which is produced by this method is a very delicate one,” Ms. Shinoda told The Business Times of Singapore in 2014. “It is thus necessary to finish one’s work very quickly. So the composition must be determined in my mind before I pick up the brush. Then, as they say, the painting just falls off the brush.”

​

Watch Marjorie explain in video “Lithography”