Woodblock Print by Kaoru Kawano Camellia Japan Circa 1950s Framed 21” x 15”

Description: Rare vintage KAORU KAWANO (1916 -1967) Made in Japan. CAMELLIA woodblock print of a young girl in a floral kimono. Camellia by Kaoru Kawano. Mid century woodblock print made in Japan circa 1950s. Chop mark lower right side. The artist used maika for a beautiful textured and shiny effect on handmade paper. Size: Framed 21” H x 15 1/4” W x 1”D. Image is in excellent like new vivid condition. The matte has some slight discoloration however is so dark navy it is not noticeable. The frame and glass are in beautiful condition. Kaoru Kawano was a Japanese woodblock print artist who worked during the Showa period (1926-1989). Born in Hokkaido in 1916, Kawano studied at Kawabata Art School during the 1930s. He gained an international reputation through successful solo exhibitions in North America and elsewhere. His prints frequently depict children and animals, combining Western-style elements with the tradition of woodblock printmaking. Kaoru Kawano’s works are also appreciated for the way in which they incorporate the woodgrain of the block into the design. The following is copied from the information affixed to the back of the painting: ON JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINTING The Japanese Woodblock print first originated in ancient China and was brought in Japan with the introduction of Buddhism. Japanese woodblock prints, or so-called Ukiyoe, the color prints, are a kind of the Japanese paintings, which have been eagerly sought after as one of the most traditional fine arts in Japan by the art connoisseurs. It can be said that such a print's form, the unique Japanese art, marks a new epoch in the art field of the world and of paintings as well. The art of woodblock printing had its golden age in the 18th century. Towards the end of 18th century, there appeared Hokusai who excelled in animated depiction of all objects the natural and human affairs, and Hiroshige, unsurpassed in the expression of the beauties of Japan's nature in purely Japanese taste. These artists were competing with each other to gain the popularity among the common people, enlivened the Ukiyoe world with their own respective styles. Consequently, these prints were having become more and more refined. Since then, there appeared in this field such talented artists as Toyokuni, Utamaro, Hokusai, Hiroshige, Sharaku, Kunisada, Kuniyoshi and Sadanobu. Kiyochika Kobayashi was outstanding in the Meiji Era. Such men as Hiroshi Yoshida, Shinsui Itoh, Hasui Kawase, Goyo Hashiguchi, Koshiro Onchi, Tomikichiro Tokuriki, Elichi Kotozuka, Benji Asada, Sadanobu Hasegawa, Kin-u Takeshita and Sanzo Wada are the leading contemporary artists of the present Japan. In the process of making the woodblock print, the designer traces the lines on the original picture with several thin paper and he applies the colors one after another using a different sheet for each color. The carver puts those thin papers on the blocks which are made of cherry wood and engraves or cuts them with the gouges and chisels, making one block for each different color. Then the printer prints the pictures on the Japanese rice paper which is made from mulberry bark with the former blocks in consecutive order. Today, in the Showa period, our company has advanced the art of the woodblock prints, presenting such artists as E. Kotozuka, T. Tokuriki, B. Asada, S. Hasegawa, etc., who specialize in scenery, figures and historical pictures. In cooperation together with these artists we are trying our best to produce the modern prints of the 20th century using the inherited but still much improved techniques of Ukiyoe. To this effect it is the most essential that the three persons, designer, carver and printer, should be harmoniously blended. The publisher, UCHIDA ART COMPANY LTD., was established more than forty years ago and has come to be watched with the keen interest for the superior technique not only by the art lovers but also by the Japanese Government which seeks to preserve the traditional techniques of the Japanese printing. We sincerely hope that the refined art of the Woodblock print will be more and more cherished and preserved by its enthusiasts all over the world. UCHIDA ART CO., LTD. KYOTO HANDICRAFT CENTER Kumanojinja- Higashi, Sakyo-ku Kyoto, Japan.

Price: 550 USD

Location: Charleston, South Carolina

End Time: 2025-02-08T14:49:32.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD