2010.10.31
Self-Portrait
Artist
Naoko Matsubara
(Tokushima Prefecture in Shikoku, 1937 - )
Title
Self-Portrait
Creation Date
1968
Century
mid-20th century
Dimensions
32 3/8 in. x 11 3/16 in. (82.23 cm x 28.42 cm)
Object Type
print
Creation Place
Asia, Japan
Medium and Support
woodblock on paper
Credit Line
Gift of D. Lee Rich, P’78 ‘80 and John Hubbard Rich, Jr. Class of 1939 Litt.D. 1974, P’78 ‘80
Copyright
This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s
Copyright Terms and Conditions.
Accession Number
2010.10.31
Reflecting her transnational cultural heritage as a Japanese-Canadian, Matsubara combines the traditional Japanese medium of woodblock print with the modernist technique of abstraction to present a harmonic balance. Japanese and Euro-American aesthetics mutually inform the print’s elongated shape, angular form, and expressive line. Matsubara precisely carves out negative space to create balance in the composition. The work’s monochromatic coloring alludes to 17th century ukiyo-e prints that inspired the artist, while blocky geometric abstraction channels Euro-American Expressionism. In contrast to traditional ukiyo-e prints, which typically depicted beautiful, idealized women, Matsubara’s self-portrait re-writes the female subject not as a sexualized figure but rather as a strong, independent woman who acknowledges no fixed cultural or gendered identities.
