Yasuzo Nojima

The legacy of Yasuzo Nojima is revealed in this catalogue featuring over 100 photographs to represent his most powerful and compelling images as a photographer.
Nojima's earliest works are characterized by a density and heaviness echoing that of pictorialism, based in his subtle sensitivity and the pigment printing process, the mainstream printing method of that time. In the 1930s, his style takes a drastic turn under the influence of new trends in German photography, shifting toward cropped gelatine silver prints in pursuit of a form of expression that is unique to the medium.
Nojima was also known as an enthusiastic art lover, opening a gallery called 'Kabutoya Gado¯' (1919-20) in the Jimbo¯-cho¯ district of Tokyo at his own expense, holding exhibitions of works by up-and-coming artists - especially those of the Shirakaba-ha (White Birch Group), a literary movement that included artists such as renowned painters Umehara Ryu¯zaburo¯ (1888-1986) and Kishida Ryu¯sei (1891-1929) - in the salon located in his own home, and acting as a patron for these artists. As an advocate of contemporary art of his time, Nojima not only ran a gallery but also took photographs of artworks for their publication in art magazines and monographs.