IMPERIAL DIET BUILDING (Okuyama Gihachiro)

N.1 sosaku-hanga woodblock print
Year: 1941
Condition: good
Size: 31 x 25 cm

SOLD

Description

Rare original woodblock print of the sosaku-hanga (創作版画) type, signed on the lower margin by the artist Okuyama Gihachiro (奥山儀八郎). The work, made in 1941, is titled “Teikoku Gijido” (帝国議事堂), that is “Imperial Diet Building”, and precisely depicts the seat of the legislative body of Japan dominated, in the background, by Mount Fuji (富士山).

Okuyama Gihachiro (1907-1981) was a prolific artist of the shin-hanga (新版画) and sosaku-hanga (創作版画) styles. Noted for his landscape prints, he has created over a thousand works in his lifetime. His shin-hanga woodcuts are consistent with other artists in this style, with evocative colors and smooth gradations giving the works depth and realism. His sosaku hanga works are intentionally rustic, either in black and white or a limited color palette.

The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging including small imperfections on the margins, is in good general condition.