Kimono and Characters, The 16th All Japan New Dyers and Weavers Exhibition 

Merging Japanese traditional art and cultural motifs with the Bauhaus style after World War 2, Ikko Tanaka became one of the most influential designers in Tokyo. He is known for his cultural and performance art posters, taking inspiration from Kandinsky in his use of geometric forms and bold design elements. 

In this piece, he creates a white kimono covered in Japanese characters, this is one of many posters he designed that shows the beauty of Japan through design and modern Bauhaus techniques. He took inspiration from traditional Japanese forms of art, such as theater and tea ceremonies that taught him to focus and appreciate the beauty of simplicity. This poster also reflects traditional Japanese crests in the way that the Japanese characters are prominent, almost hanging in the Kimono, he often loved to combine historic symbolism in his designs. 

Contextual Information Provided by: Medium, Mabel Chow and The Blend

[https://medium.com/@jaranda.des/biography-tanaka-ikko-v-2-68f34c95cc3a]

[https://mabelchowphotographs.wordpress.com/2021/06/08/journal-10-ikko-tanaka/] 

[https://www.theblendwithin.com/art/ikko-tanaka]