<b>WINDOW B</b> / Gen Yamaguchi1948<b>SOLD</b></em>
ARTIST: Gen Yamaguchi (1896–1976)
TITLE: Window B
MEDIUM: Woodblock print
DATE: 1948
EDITION: 12/50
DIMENSIONS: 14 1/2 x 10 7/8 inches
CONDITION: No condition problems to note
LITERATURE: Oliver Statler, Modern Japanese Prints: An Art Reborn, 1960, pl. 88
SOLD
ARTIST: Gen Yamaguchi (1896–1976)
TITLE: Window B
MEDIUM: Woodblock print
DATE: 1948
EDITION: 12/50
DIMENSIONS: 14 1/2 x 10 7/8 inches
CONDITION: No condition problems to note
LITERATURE: Oliver Statler, Modern Japanese Prints: An Art Reborn, 1960, pl. 88
SOLD
ARTIST: Gen Yamaguchi (1896–1976)
TITLE: Window B
MEDIUM: Woodblock print
DATE: 1948
EDITION: 12/50
DIMENSIONS: 14 1/2 x 10 7/8 inches
CONDITION: No condition problems to note
LITERATURE: Oliver Statler, Modern Japanese Prints: An Art Reborn, 1960, pl. 88
SOLD
Details
Gen Yamaguchi was a sosaku hanga artist who perhaps was closest associated with his teacher, Koshiro Onchi. Yamaguchi started his career producing representational subjects, and like Onchi, abandoned realism for abstraction after World War II. Onchi and Yamaguchi experimented with found objects as printing blocks for their abstract designs; both were adamant each arrived at the practice independently.
In this design, Window B (1948), Yamaguchi provides the viewer with a compelling abstract composition. It’s interesting to note this design is the second version of the subject, as the first work was representational (see image below). This retooling of the design strips away almost all recognizable elements and presents the viewer with shapes, colors, figures, and textures in an assemblage that communicates beyond the recognizable and points to a greater focus on the compositional elements unfolding within the image.
It’s interesting to compare this work to Onchi’s Untitled (1952). Onchi appears to arrive at the composition through synthetic means—solely relying on the creative process, as the composition did not originate from a representational subject. Though Onchi retools this design, he does so based on spatial relationships within the composition, not through a simplification of a representational form, as Yamaguchi has done in his composition.
Connoisseur's Note
Window B (1948), is one of Yamaguchi’s most celebrated works. The print was produced in an edition of 50, with a handful of artist proofs. The design is bold in its simplicity with a strong mid-century modern feeling. This design was featured in Oliver Statler’s seminal reference, Modern Japanese Prints, and is showcased as a color illustration, serving as a prime example for this artist’s finest work.
