北岡文雄 Fumio Kitaoka (1918-2007)

Landscapes of Memory and Time: The Prints of Fumio Kitaoka

Fumio Kitaoka is regarded as one of Japan’s foremost sōsaku-hanga (creative print) artists. A student of both Unichi Hiratsuka (平塚運一) and Koshiro Onchi (恩地孝四郎) - two foundational figures in modern Japanese printmaking - Kitaoka depicts landscapes marked by stillness, change, and the passage of time, conveying the quiet power of nature and the transience of human life.

Born in Tokyo in 1918, Kitaoka originally trained as an oil painter at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts before turning to printmaking in the early 1940s. He became an active member of Onchi’s Ichimokukai (First Thursday Society), a postwar circle of printmakers dedicated to self-expression and full artistic control over the print process. Drawing on Onchi’s abstract language and Hiratsuka’s technical clarity; Kitaoka's landscapes often focus on seasonal change and shifting light, capturing not only a sense of place but also the passing nature of time, memory, & impermanence.

From the late 1950s, Kitaoka exhibited and lectured extensively overseas, playing a key role in introducing sōsaku-hanga to international audiences. He taught at the Minneapolis School of Art and the Pratt Graphic Arts Center in New York, sharing Japanese printmaking techniques with a new generation of Western artists. Today, his works are held in major collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, Harvard Art Museums, the Yokohama Museum of Art, and the Embassy of Japan in London. His legacy continues to grow among collectors and scholars alike.