Japanese Trio

This captivating trio of Japanese paintings dates from the early decades of the 20th century. The silhouetted style derives from the ancient Japanese woodblock tradition; soft light glows in these nighttime scenes from traditional Japanese life.

No biographical information about S. Tomi is readily available, but the occurrence of the artist's paintings in England suggests that they had connections with Britain, if not worked here. Stylistic elements of the artist's work also point to a hybrid of Japanese and Western origins.

The two-dimensional aesthetic of Japanese woodblock prints, with silhouetted forms used as a popular motif, were often found in European fin-de-siècle etchings, lithographs and woodcuts.