Rope:Field

Rope:Field

Rope is one of the motifs that Ikko Tanaka worked on repeatedly, mainly in the 1970s. The rope takes a form resembling mizuhiki (a traditional Japanese artform of knot-tying) and evokes the traditional Japanese “knot” culture. Apart from his main field of work, Tanaka called his own printmaking work "graphic art" and made it his lifework. What he attempted in the woodcut print "Rope" series was a combination of deformed ropes and silhouettes of landscape photographs. They are works that allow you to see various expressions unique to woodcut prints in a single piece. Regarding this series, the late Keizaburo Yamaguchi, an ukiyo-e researcher, said, “In free imagination, abstract ropes and concrete landscapes skillfully alternate to create a mysterious feeling within a modern sensibility.”

Born in Nara City, Nara Prefecture in 1930. Graduated from the Design Department of the Kyoto City Technical School of Art (presently Kyoto City University of Arts). Joined Kanegafuchi Spinning Co., Ltd., and later the Sankei Shimbun Osaka Head Office. Participated in a drama club since his school days, and eventually worked as a stage design assistant for Jiro Yoshihara, the founder of the Gutai Art Association. Designed posters for Sankei Kanze Noh Performances from 1954. Moved to Tokyo in 1957 and traveled to the United States on a study tour in 1960. Opened the Ikko Tanaka Design Room in Aoyama in 1963. In the same year, participated in the design activities for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and served as the chief of pictogram design. In 1968, designed the exhibition for the “History” section of the Japanese Government Pavilion No.1 at the 1970 Osaka Expo. Worked on poster design for the Seibu Theater from 1973 and as art director for graphic design at the Seibu Museum of Art (later the Sezon Museum of Art) from 1975. Consultant for MUJI from 1980. In charge of designing the ISSEY MIYAKE poster series from 1987. Received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1994, and the Cultural Merit Award in 2000. Died in January 2002. The following year, “Ikko Tanaka: A Retrospective – Our Era of Design" was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.

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 × 23.5 cm
Material Paper: Echizen Kizuki Hosho Washi made by Living National Treasure, Ichibei Iwano
FeatureType of print: Woodcut print

On a sunny day in early spring, I decided to take my block copy and visit the woodcut printing studio of my collaborator. ... The thrill of seeing ukiyo-e being revived in Japan in the 1970s runs through my body. ... To my eyes, that had always seen nothing but uniformity in the printed output of an automatic machine, the splendor of human handiwork was striking.
-- From Approaching Ukiyo-e (from Ikko Tanaka's The Periphery of Design)

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."