All about Picturesque Design
All about Picturesque Design

All about Picturesque Design

This series of nine woodcut prints was unveiled in the year following the discovery of woodblocks used to print a book of patterns designed by Hokusai entitled "Hokusai Moyo Gafu - Shingata Komon-cho (Hokusai Design Sketchbook - Album of New Format of Fine Patterns)" at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. With deep respect and understanding for Hokusai's designs, Kiyoshi Awazu boldly combined vivid colors, arranged the motifs in a playful way and took advantage of the characteristics of woodcut prints to create the series, which is a superb representation of his own unique world view.

Born 1929 in Tokyo, died 2009 in Kawasaki. Self-taught in painting and design. In 1955, Awazu received the Japan Advertising Artists Club Award for his poster Give Our Sea Back. He was a leader in post-war graphic design in Japan and involved in the development as creative expression of reproduction and mass production of images using printing technology. In 1960, he participated in the architectural movement "Metabolism", and in 1977, exhibited his work Graphism, Three Part Work at the Bienal de São Paulo. From the 1980s onward, he conducted a study of hieroglyphics and the written language of Native Americans. He continued to question not only images and the act of communication, but also human existence itself within the entirety of all living things. The foresight and totality of his creative activity still has a major impact today.

Price

Sale price¥35,000

About Frame

About Frame

Size: 40.0 × 55.0 cm
Weight: approx. 1.8kg
Material: wood, acrylic (70% of UV cut)

 

About Frame

About Frame

Size: 40.0 × 55.0 cm
Weight: approx. 1.8kg
Material: wood, acrylic (70% of UV cut)

 
Quantity:
Size/Weight Image Size: 36.0 × 25.0 cm
Material Paper: Echizen Kizuki Hosho Washi made by Living National Treasure, Ichibei Iwano
FeatureType of print: Woodcut print

Mr. Awazu recomposed Hokusai's black-and-white patterns and created a series of brightly colored woodcut prints.

Adachi's Philosophy and Mission

At Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints, we create attractive works that are in keeping with the times while maintaining the basics of traditional woodcut printing techniques.

Adachi's Meticulous Quality and Materials

At Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints, we use carefully selected materials and tools to bring out the original beauty of woodcut prints to the fullest.

Traditional Techniques and Adachi's Artisans

The production of ukiyo-e, which developed as a commercial printing method, focused on efficiency and profitability. And so, all processes are streamlined and sophisticated. We will introduce the basics of ukiyo-e techniques through the production process of Katsushika Hokusai's masterpiece "The Great Wave off Kanagawa."