ARTISTS
Seven Masters: 20th-Century Japanese Woodblock Prints
Early in the twentieth century, during Japan鈥檚 rapid Westernization and industrialization, a desire to revive the great Japanese tradition of woodblock prints (known as ukiyo-e) in the context of Japan鈥檚 dynamic, modern life gave rise to an art movement known as shin hanga, or the 鈥渘ew print.鈥� Beginning around 1915, a small group of artists mingled the old with the new, creating beautiful, enticing pictures that were reproduced as prints of almost unsurpassed quality.
Seven Masters: 20th-Century Japanese Woodblock Prints focuses on seven artists who played a significant role in the development of the shin hanga print, and whose works boldly exemplify this new movement: Hashiguchi Goy艒, Kawase Hasui, Yamamura K艒ka, Torii Kotondo, It艒 Shinsui, Yamakawa Sh奴h艒, and Natori Shunsen. The 75 woodblock prints are drawn from the superb collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and feature three themes: Kabuki actors, beautiful women, and landscapes. In addition to their enticing imagery, the materials used in creating the works captivate as well. Shin hanga prints were made using thick mulberry paper, rich mineral pigments, featured special elements like embossing and mica backgrounds, and emphasized the swirly movement of the rubbing tool, or baren. While 18th and 19th century ukiyo-e prints had been printed by the hundreds鈥攅ven thousands for the most popular designs鈥攕hin hanga prints were produced in limited editions to guarantee exclusivity.
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Early in the twentieth century, during Japan鈥檚 rapid Westernization and industrialization, a desire to revive the great Japanese tradition of woodblock prints (known as ukiyo-e) in the context of Japan鈥檚 dynamic, modern life gave rise to an art movement known as shin hanga, or the 鈥渘ew print.鈥� Beginning around 1915, a small group of artists mingled the old with the new, creating beautiful, enticing pictures that were reproduced as prints of almost unsurpassed quality.
Seven Masters: 20th-Century Japanese Woodblock Prints focuses on seven artists who played a significant role in the development of the shin hanga print, and whose works boldly exemplify this new movement: Hashiguchi Goy艒, Kawase Hasui, Yamamura K艒ka, Torii Kotondo, It艒 Shinsui, Yamakawa Sh奴h艒, and Natori Shunsen. The 75 woodblock prints are drawn from the superb collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and feature three themes: Kabuki actors, beautiful women, and landscapes. In addition to their enticing imagery, the materials used in creating the works captivate as well. Shin hanga prints were made using thick mulberry paper, rich mineral pigments, featured special elements like embossing and mica backgrounds, and emphasized the swirly movement of the rubbing tool, or baren. While 18th and 19th century ukiyo-e prints had been printed by the hundreds鈥攅ven thousands for the most popular designs鈥攕hin hanga prints were produced in limited editions to guarantee exclusivity.
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