Lilian Miller

Lilian Miller was an American painter, woodblock printmaker, and poet. Born and growing up in Japan, Miller was immersed in traditional Japanese art and culture. At age nine, Lilian’s printmaking education began at the atelier of Kano Tomonobu (1843 - 1912). Although she learned the traditional process of shin-hanga woodblock printing, she preferred to do all the steps of the woodblock printing by herself. It is unusual when a team of artisans executes the carving and printing once the artist created the image.

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Miller’s first prints were largely based on drawings made in Korea. She once declared to the San Francisco Examiner that her mission in life was “to portray the hidden beauty of the Hermit Kingdom.” Yet, critics argue that her representations of Korea are weak, and Orientalist, stressing the "quaint" aspects that confirm Japanese representations of Korea as an uncivilized country whose only hope for development is to be a part of Japan. Nevertheless, Miller left many artworks that depicted the people and beautiful landscapes of Korea.