Details

It may be a surprise to know that Haku Maki was enlisted in a special squadron of Kamikaze pilots during the second world war. Fortunately, Japan's surrender occurred before a mission was assigned to him. After the war, Maki served as a Vice Principal at an elementary school. Despite his formal position, Maki's longing for the creative arts may have summoned a chance to meet with the Sosaku Hanga artist Koshiro Onchi. Under Onchi's direction, the burgeoning artist received the inspirational sustenance and encouragement to produce artwork that pushed the boundaries of both the technical aspects of printmaking as well as accepted artistic subjects. As a result, Maki developed a highly innovative printmaking process of chiseling woodblocks and cement molds, which created deep embossing (raised reliefs) into the paper that provided his calligraphic-inspired designs a compelling three-dimensionality previously unseen in the medium.

This early work demonstrates many of the elements the artist would explore in a prolific career that closely became associated with his signature style. This work's bold contrasting pigmentation with a strong black matte background set in sharp contrast to the bright white of the center anchor the design, while the yellow dot overhead further punctuates the drama. At closer inspection, the print reveals a textured relief within the confines of both the yellow sphere and the white block-like form that dominates the center. This work radiates activity as the embossing echoes and recounts the artist's busy hand as he formulated the ornate pattern.

Connoisseur's Note

Emanation No. 6 is an exceedingly rare work produced at the onset of the artist's career. The title suggests the work dates prior to Maki's use of the term "Poem" as a naming convention. The early signature and low edition further support an early attribution to the mid-1950s.