- Portrait on a Sand Dune
Sheet: 13 15/16 × 10 7/8 in. (35.4 × 27.7 cm)
Explore Further
Responding to the devastation of World War II, Shoji Ueda found solace and inspiration in the beaches and sand dunes of his home, the coastal Tottori prefecture. Working outside the mainstream photography movements of postwar Japan, Ueda developed a style of staged photography that balanced a distinctive mix of lyricism and humor with compositional strength. In a series of photographs taken in the Tottori dunes, Ueda posed family members across the stark backdrop in haphazard groupings that verge on the surreal. The sense of dreamlike ambiguity is heightened by an uneven horizon, as the dunes roll beneath a cloud-filled sky.
Provenance[Gallery & Office RAM, U.S.A.]; purchased by MFAH, 1996.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Stamped in red ink and inscribed in pencil, verso, lower right quadrant: [in Japanese]
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.