Page 24 - Christies Japanese and Korean Art Sept 22 2020 NYC

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SHINODA TOKO (B. 1913)
Untitled
Sealed To, signed Shinoda on reverse
Double-sided two-panel screen; ink on paper
66 x 66Ω in. (167 x 169 cm.)
$20,000-30,000

Shinoda Toko is a leading figure in Japanese Abstract art, who is
famous for her blend of traditional calligraphy and abstract art.
Shinoda was encouraged to study calligraphy in her younger days,
as such profession was one of the few kinds that Japanese women
would be respected at the time. However, her rebellious mind
distracted her from going onto the conventional path – she sought
for a nontraditional yet tangible expression to demonstrate her
inner self. Nonetheless, the traditional training left strong impact
in her artistic language. Shinoda is fascinated with Sumi (India ink),
and she masters in employing degrees of blackness. Yohaku (empty
space) is an Asian rooted idea, which she uses to achieve spatial
balance and demonstrates the tension between existing elements.
She employs traditional techniques and transforms them into
modern abstractionism language.
The result of her Eastern-Western merge was successful. Shinoda
was once represented by the legendary dealer Betty Parsons when
she landed in New York in 1956. The universal artistic language
Shinoda creates brought her enormous commercial traffic, as well
as great academic attention. Toko Shinoda exhibited at various
renowned institutions, such as Guggenheim Museum, Art Institute
of Chicago, Singapore Art Museum and The Museum of Modern
Art in New York.

My words are meaningless. It is not millions of

words, but a single line that I wished to express.

– Shinoda Toko, 2016

(reverse)