Definition

1976

American, born Japan 1906 - 1999

After the war and his return to Seattle, Horiuchi opened an automobile paint and body shop and practiced painting as a hobby. When a fall from a ladder left him unfit for manual labor, his hobby became a full-time vocation, and he opened Tozai, an antiques gallery and gathering space for artists, which also included studio space for him. Influenced by Mark Tobey, he tapped into his early exposure to Japanese aesthetics to develop his signature style: collages of torn rice paper, dyed by hand in subtle hues and arranged in abstract configurations. In this example, vertical collage and horizontal brushwork exist in delicate balance to show that composing a picture is equal parts deliberate choice and purposeful action.

Casein on paper mounted to canvas

60 x 72 in. (152.4 x 182.9 cm)

Gift of Gordon Woodside

76.67

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistoryOlympia, Washington, Governor's Mansion, 1981.

Olympia, Washington, Governor's Mansion, Aug. 2, 1982 - Sept. 1, 1983.

Seattle, Washington, Gordon Woodside Gallery, Paul Horiuchi, Nov. 9 - Dec. 4, 1976.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Northwest Priorities, Nov. 16, 1976 - Mar. 1977.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Northwest Modernism: Four Japanese Americans, Mar. 20, 2021 - June 5, 2022 [on view Mar. 16 - June 5, 2022].

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