Osamu Shiihara was born in Osaka in 1905, and graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now named the Tokyo University of the Arts, or known popularly as “Geidai”) in 1932 after studying in the Western painting department. While trying to establish himself as a painter in Hyogo Prefecture, he took up photography and became a leading member of the Tampei Photography Club along with Nakaji Yasui and others. The group was known for producing avant-garde work through a variety of techniques. Shiihara himself used solarization techniques, as well as his own unique combination of photography and painting. Shiihara’s works are in the permanent collections of The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Nagoya City Art Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and The Museum of Modern Art, New York, among others.

You can see more examples of Shiihara’s work here.