<b>MOUNT MYOKO IN DAWN</b> / Takashi Ito1933<B>SOLD</B></em>
ARTIST: Takashi Ito (1894-1982)
TITLE: Mount Myoko in Dawn
MEDIUM: Woodblock
DATE: 1933
DIMENSIONS: 15 1/4 x 10 1/4 inches
CONDITION: Excellent; no problems to note
NOTE: First-state—Watanabe D-type seal
LITERATURE: Nostalgic scenery: Woodblock prints by Takashi Ito; Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art; 1997
SOLD
Details
A rustic cottage is nestled deep in the interior of the countryside. The winter’s snow is deep, barely granting a path to the small cabin. Dawn’s light, mere moments old, reveals the silhouette of the mountain range cloaked in layers of snow and the crimson of the first rays of the sun. The composition has a stunning atmospheric quality that imbues the work with a poetic sensibility that woodblock prints are so well known to possess.
Connoisseur's Note
This print bears the Watanabe “D” type seal at the lower right margin, indicative of an early first state of the design. It is executed with a richer, more saturated coloration and a more dramatic use of bokashi (color gradation), which also supports this early attribution. Later impressions lack the extensive and dramatic use of bokashi, which understates the artist’s original sense of light and shadow. This work is preserved exceptionally, as it has never been framed or displayed for extended periods. The colors are pristine, and the impression is outstanding.
