The Japanese Ghosts and Demons by Senju Horimatsu

The latest works by the interesting Swedish artist Senju (Matti Sandberg) are inspired by the Yurei-zu genre that concerns Japanese paintings and prints of ghosts, demons and supernatural beings. On his blog he explains that he has been fascinated by the genre for a long time. What appeals to him is the melancholy they represent and the kind of desperation they express.

Suffering

Senju Shunga says, ‘The suffering of the ghost, sometimes portrayed almost as mental illness, anxiety or just the uncontrollable urge to be something else, somewhere else, just not in their lonesome world of indescribable pain.’

Below you can find three of his most recent paintings on Japanese ghosts and Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) displays his comic genius like no other. These small..