From the series “Nature Through the Twelve Months.” The Japanese title of this series Ryuryokkako-sho means “the willow is green, the flowers crimson,”a Zen saying that is a favourite of Munakata. It is a metaphor for the naturalness of all phenomena. Munakata also admired the beauty of hanafuda, early Japanese playing cards matched in suits of twelve that illustrate floral motifs. When he acquired a number of large square boards, he decided to express the Zen world of Ryuryokkako-sho, in terms of the twelve months of the year. The hanafuda cards inspired him to separate his favourite flowers and trees into the four seasons; he also included birds, animals insects and shells in his compositions.
An exquisite lithograph produced on a very textural Japanese ‘washi’ paper, published by Yasukawa as part of their collaborative calendar project.
Dimensions: 31 x 39 cm approx. Original Printing Date: 1958 (Lithograph printing date 2019) Medium: Lithograph
Shiko Munakata (1903-1975) was a Japanese artist, world-renowned for his woodblock prints and his role in popularising both the shin-hanga and mingei movements in the West. Munakata’s distinctive and harsh take on print making gained worldwide attention in the mid 20th Century: in the Eastern World, this was a result of his departure from more traditional production techniques whilst still maintaining the cultural subject matter of Buddha, flowers and similar everyday imagery. Whereas in the West, the prints were produced in a style not too dissimilar from the European abstract and modernist artists, which in turn gained Munakata the nickname of ‘Japanese Picasso.’ One can easily see the similarties between the two artists.
An interesting observation is noticing that Picasso and his French peers were influenced by the work of the earlier Japanese printmakers, notably Hokusai, which in turn influenced Munakata; the influence really travelled full circle within artistic circles in the 19th and 20thcenturies.
April: Lilacs and Irises by Shiko Munakata
£55.00
From the series “Nature Through the Twelve Months.” The Japanese title of this series Ryuryokkako-sho means “the willow is green, the flowers crimson,”a Zen saying that is a favourite of Munakata. It is a metaphor for the naturalness of all phenomena. Munakata also admired the beauty of hanafuda, early Japanese playing cards matched in suits of twelve that illustrate floral motifs. When he acquired a number of large square boards, he decided to express the Zen world of Ryuryokkako-sho, in terms of the twelve months of the year. The hanafuda cards inspired him to separate his favourite flowers and trees into the four seasons; he also included birds, animals insects and shells in his compositions.
An exquisite lithograph produced on a very textural Japanese ‘washi’ paper, published by Yasukawa as part of their collaborative calendar project.
Dimensions: 31 x 39 cm approx.
Original Printing Date: 1958 (Lithograph printing date 2019)
Medium: Lithograph
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Description
Shikō Munakata 棟方 志功
Shiko Munakata (1903-1975) was a Japanese artist, world-renowned for his woodblock prints and his role in popularising both the shin-hanga and mingei movements in the West. Munakata’s distinctive and harsh take on print making gained worldwide attention in the mid 20th Century: in the Eastern World, this was a result of his departure from more traditional production techniques whilst still maintaining the cultural subject matter of Buddha, flowers and similar everyday imagery. Whereas in the West, the prints were produced in a style not too dissimilar from the European abstract and modernist artists, which in turn gained Munakata the nickname of ‘Japanese Picasso.’ One can easily see the similarties between the two artists.
An interesting observation is noticing that Picasso and his French peers were influenced by the work of the earlier Japanese printmakers, notably Hokusai, which in turn influenced Munakata; the influence really travelled full circle within artistic circles in the 19th and 20thcenturies.
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