<b>FISHING AT MORIGASEKI</b> / Tsuchiya Koitsu1930<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

Koitsu Tsuchiya left a diverse body of work, but a common thread found throughout his designs is a masterful use of light. In this print published by Kawaguchi, the artist portrays fisherman preparing for a night’s catch with the help of the waxing moon overhead. The activity is subdued and contemplative; the action lies in the drama of how light unfolds throughout this masterful print. The moon overhead casts a light much larger than the fisherman’s net, filling every space of this design to various degrees. The immediate reflections spill toward the boat with a yellow hue, dispersing into the sea of blue. The variations of blue, executed with dozens of impressions throughout the design demonstrate moonlight working through cloudy and hazy conditions. The shadows on the grasses in the foreground act as an anchor for the fluidity of the light, as it aluminates the boat, exhibiting the fine lines that make up the fisherman’s net. As one considers the subtle complexity of the dozens of blues used in the design to capture the light’s movement throughout the composition, one realizes why this design is considered the artist’s supreme masterpiece, displaying a brilliance few hanga artists of his generation were able to match.

Connoisseur's Note

This work was published by Kawaguchi as a slightly oversized design in a single edition. Though there is no numeration on the reverse, the scarcity of the print in the marketplace suggests a low print run. The print was never framed nor exposed to light for prolonged periods. The print is in a pristine state of preservation and appears as fresh and vibrant as the day it was printed.