斎藤カオル Kaoru Saito (1931-2021)

Timeless Intimacy: The Mezzotints of Kaoru Saito

Kaoru Saito was a master of Japanese mezzotint, best known for his refined bijin-e (美人絵) portraits and lyrical interpretations of classical literature such as The Tale of Genji. His prints conjure quiet, dreamlike scenes - marked by soft tonal gradations, deep blacks, and a distinctive sense of intimacy. Through subtle contrasts and flowing forms, Saito invites viewers into a gentle, surreal world, poised between classical grace and a lyrical fantasy of stillness & emotion.

Born in Hayama, Kanagawa, Saito studied figure drawing at Academy 46 in 1948 under Fujita Tsuguharu and Tsuruta Goro, before later continuing his training under Arai Tatsuo. At just eighteen, his self-portrait was selected for the Free Artists Association exhibition. Originally working in abstract oils and exhibiting in modern art shows, he shifted to mezzotint in 1968 - a transition that brought immediate recognition when his prints were selected for the 8th Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibition. He went on to receive the Shunyo-kai Prize in 1972, became a full member in 1974, and later served as chairman of the Shunyo-kai (春陽会), one of Japan’s leading postwar art societies.

Between 1982 and 1991, Saito produced a ten-volume mezzotint series on The Tale of Genji, exhibited through Seibu department stores. His work reached international audiences through solo and group exhibitions in New York, Washington D.C., Vancouver, Seoul, and across Europe - his 1984 show at Vopal Gallery marking only the second solo mezzotint exhibition by a Japanese artist in New York after Yozo Hamaguchi. Today, Saito’s prints are held in public collections including the Tokushima Prefectural Museum of Modern Art and continue to be celebrated for their balance of classical refinement, emotional depth, and surreal introspection.