KENRO IZU | Palitana #453, Gujarat, India

Acquired directly from the artist circa 2011-12
Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York
Private Collection

There are clamp marks in the upper left and right margin corners. Two pin-sized deposits, one in the lower left margin and the other in the upper center are possibly ink. This work is in over all good condition, as viewed. It is tipped to the mount, on the reverse in each corner. Colors are more neutral in reality. This work is in a temporary frame.
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The works of Japanese-born Kenro Izu invite quiet contemplation and a feeling of transcendence. After completing his higher education at Nihon University College of Art in Tokyo from 1969-1972, Izu moved to New York in 1972. Izu was originally inspired by the arresting works of American photographer Paul Strand. Widely known for his powerful, candid portraits and street photography, Izu appreciated Strand’s unique approach to landscapes, and sought to emulate it. Strand strove to capture the essence and history of a place or portrait: something which could only be created by immersing oneself long enough to unpack its true nature. He made his first trip to India in 1996, where he was invited to observe a Hindu cremation ritual on the banks of the River Ganges. This experience was the impetus that led the artist to return to the country several times and to capture these moments. The present works come from a series titled ‘Where Prayer Echoes’, executed in India between 2008 and 2012. Izu uses his own contact-printing process using Platinum/Palladium and a large format camera which he carries on his travels. His subjects are often caught in a moment of prayer or reflection and set against the backdrop of India’s holiest places, such the banks of the Yamuna River near the Taj Mahal or within places of worship. The grandiose settings for these images are gently muted by the customary ease with which the subjects perform their daily rituals. The result is a picture where both the landscape and its occupants are given equal importance: it is the symbiotic relation between them which lays at the heart of the series.