Pipe and Cigars 1932

Yasuo Kuniyoshi made this lithograph, Pipe and Cigars, using crayon, tusche and scraping to describe a surreal image. The way Kuniyoshi uses crayon is interesting, like the action of drawing is the subject, not necessarily the image itself. I’m drawn to the surface of the lithograph, and the velvety texture of the crayon marks. The composition is ambiguous, dreamlike. Is that a figure with a dog sitting on top of a pipe and cigars? It looks like a still life but it’s also a figure study. The dark and light areas create a sense of depth and volume, but also flatten the image, so it feels like a collage of different elements. The scraped lines add another layer of texture and create a sense of movement. It reminds me of the work of Philip Guston, who also used a similar approach to mark-making to create a sense of unease and ambiguity. Ultimately, Kuniyoshi reminds us that art is a conversation, a back-and-forth between ideas, materials, and emotions.