<b>FOGGY MORNING VAN NESS AVE S. F.</b> / Chiura Obata1930<B>SOLD</B></em>

Details

Executed in a minimalist style much akin to the sparse sumi-e or Zenga illustrations, Obata presents a view of his adopted city, San Francisco. Engulfed with the familiar bay area fog, the composition is impressionistic in its softness. Yet upon closer inspection, the print exhibits an application of silver mica across the entire surface. Held at an intimate proximity, the print gleams in a realistic manner as if the light day is captured within the confines of this endearing fog. Though relatively unadorned, the composition appears nostalgic, almost photographic in nature.

Connoisseur's Note

The print was published by Takamizawa in 1930 in an edition of 100 impressions. The print was never framed or displayed in light for extended periods of time and retains its original vibrant, rich coloration. The print is accompanied by the original Takamizawa paper mat and woodblock-printed folio. These accompanying materials are rarely seen outside of institutions. The print is made that much more desirable by the inclusion of the artist’s signature and seal at the lower right which was not always included on each impression.

It is reported Obata spent his life savings on creating this print series. Executed with the highest possible standards, the project, led by Takamizawa, employed more than 32 carvers and 40 printers for eighteen months. To give the print the effect of a watercolor, scores of blocks were used for each design, as well as specially commissioned paper. 400 impressions of each of the 35 compositions were executed, with only the finest 100 selected for the portfolio. The remaining 10,500 “less than perfect” impressions were destroyed.