Ryohei Tanaka

Ryohei Tanaka (1933 – 2019 ) is world renowned for his intricate black and white etchings of rural Japan. Born in Takatsuki City outside of Osaka, Ryohei began his career studying etching under Professor Yoshio Furuno in 1963. One year later, he became a member of the Kyoto Etchers Group. In 1966, he began exhibiting with the Japan Print Association and became a full member in 1973. Ryohei won numerous awards in Japan, Europe and the United States. He is best known for his black and white etchings, but he also produced some aquatints and mezzotints. Ryohei Tanaka did not imagine his compositions, but drew from reality, basing his work on sketches of the Japanese countryside. His prints are widely collected and can be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Art.