<b>RIVER AT DAWN</b> / Takashi Ito1932<B>SOLD</B></em>
ARTIST: Takashi Ito (1894-1982)
TITLE: River at Dawn
MEDIUM: Woodblock
DATE: 1932
DIMENSIONS: 15 1/4 x 10 1/4 inches
CONDITION: Excellent; no problems to note
LITERATURE: Nostalgic scenery: Woodblock prints by Takashi Ito; Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art; 1997
SOLD
Details
In this design, we find a traveler crossing a roaring stream on a bridge made from a fallen log deep in the wilderness, near the mountains. Takashi Ito has given the viewer a rare glimpse of Japan's great interior, where the budding spring's magic arrives, but only a few catch a glimpse of it.
The lone traveler in Ito’s design is dwarfed by the grandeur of the mountains and trees surrounding him. A sound is conjured by Ito’s depiction of the active stream at the lower center of the design—luring the traveler and viewer forward and deeper into the wilderness.
Connoisseur's Note
This print bears the Watanabe “F” type seal at the lower right margin, indicative of this design's early, pre-war printing. It is executed with a richer, more saturated coloration and a more dramatic use of bokashi (color gradation), supporting 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.
