The artwork “Head of a Cat,” crafted by Kiyoshi Saito in 1953, is a notable piece within the Sōsaku hanga movement, falling under the genre of animal painting. This stylized rendering of a cat’s head features geometric abstraction and a limited color palette, typical of the mid-20th-century Japanese woodblock print technique.
In the artwork, the cat’s head is depicted through a composition of angular shapes and contrasting colors, primarily shades of black, gray, and off-white, set against a muted reddish-brown background. The eyes of the cat are particularly striking, created with simple, curved forms that stand out prominently amid the sharp, angular sections of the face. The overall design showcases a harmonious blend of abstraction and simplicity, capturing the essence of the cat in a minimalist yet evocative manner.
