(Female nude)

Umehara Ryûzaburô, together with Yasui Sôtarô, dominated Western-style painting in modern Japan, particularly during the postwar period which is called the 'Yasui-Umehara era'. Umehara went to Europe in 1908, returning in 1913 after studying under Renoir. He was a major player in the Japanese modern art movement which parted from the established academic oil painting of the government exhibitions (Teiten). In 1915 he established the Western painting (yôga) section of Kokuga-kai, an exhibition society originally founded by avant-garde Japanese-style painters. Although Umehara was a painter, he strongly supported and promoted modern art movements in craft and printmaking. The block for this print was cut by Hiratsuka Un'ichi, one of the leaders of the Creative Print Movement which began in the 1910s. The print represents Umehara's typical style.