Matsumi Kanemitsu
Loneliness
1946
Scroll
Matsumi Kanemitsu
Loneliness
1946
Physical Qualities
Conte crayon on paper, Sheet: 338 × 246 mm. (13 5/16 × 9 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of J. Blankfard Martenet
Object Number
2012.711.77
This somber image of a male face appears to be a self-portrait of the artist. In the bottom left corner, Kanemitsu included a monogram, or mark of the artist’s initials, that suggests the stamped seals historically used for artist’s signatures in Japanese and Chinese art while also recalling the engraved monograms added to 15th and 16th century European prints. Kanemitsu signed and dated the drawing as well, creating a hybrid visual signature that matched his own Japanese American background.
Leslie Cozzi, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Matsumi Kanemitsu: Figure and Fantasy," May 14 - October 8, 2023.
Inscribed: Recto: lower left, in graphite "Loneliness"; lower right, in graphite: "Matsumi. M. Kanemitsu / 1947"; Verso: lower left, in graphite: "CONTE CRAYON"
Markings: None
Artist
Matsumi Kanemitsu
1921–1991
born Odgen, UT 1922; died Los Angeles, CA 1992
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