<b>UENO PARK</b> / Takashi Henmi1928<b>SOLD</b></b></em>

Details

Ueno Park is a striking design by this early Sosaku Hanga artist. The design’s palette featuring muted pastels recalls the printed work of Kunzo Minami, Kanae Yamamoto’s scenes of Brittany, and Unichi Hiratsuka’s early colored designs.

Much like his Sosaku Hanga predecessors, Hemni elects to abandon a key block and utilizes blocks of color printed over color to build up the image. The grass and freshly fallen blossoms located within the fenced-off lawn is an intricate and expressive pattern typically associated with this genre. The free-flowing carving style in the background’s swaying trees and the foreground’s tree trunks further bolster the design’s expressive and dynamic quality. Though the scene is quiet and contemplative, the active carving and application of colors animate the design and offer a sense of depth and interest not always encountered in this work’s Shin Hanga counterparts.

Connoisseur's Note

Henmi’s printed work is quite rarely encountered. The artist’s designs found in various Hanga magazines seem to populate the material found in the marketplace. This standalone work, executed at this early stage in the genre, is a prime example of the period and a gem for the Sosaku Hanga enthusiast.