Masao Ido "Dusk colors of the Ancient Capital" Kyoto 2009

Masao Ido "Dusk colors of the Ancient Capital" (古都暮色) Kyoto 2009

Limited edition Sōsaku Hanga woodblock print, 2/200, in its original Japanese metal frame

A pagoda stands in black silhouette against a blazing Kyoto sky. Layered bands of vermilion, rust and crimson build toward a pale yellow sun that sits low on the horizon, with a flock of birds crossing the clouds. The tiled roof of a temple hall and the bare branches of trees fill the foreground. The flat, graphic planes of colour and the confident silhouette give the traditional subject a strikingly modern, almost poster-like clarity, and the fine mica-like sparkle in the sky adds depth in raking light.

The print is pencil-signed "Masao Ido", numbered 2/200, dated '09, titled in pencil in Japanese, and carries the artist's red seal. It is presented in a slim, dark original Japanese metal frame with a generous white mat.

Dimensions (framed)
H 43 × W 55 × D 2.5 cm
H 16.9 × W 21.7 × D 1 in

About the Artist
Masao Ido (井堂雅夫, b. 1945) is a Japanese printmaker associated with Kyoto and best known for woodblock landscapes of the city's temples, pagodas and seasonal skies. He uses bold, simplified forms and saturated colour, and his sunsets and silhouettes are his signature. His work continues the Japanese landscape print tradition in a contemporary graphic language.

About Sōsaku Hanga
Sōsaku hanga ("creative prints") was a movement that emerged in early 20th-century Japan. It was led by artists such as Yamamoto Kanae, Onchi Kōshirō, Hiratsuka Un'ichi and Munakata Shikō, who championed the print as an expression of the individual artist's vision. They rejected the division of labour of the ukiyo-e workshop, in which designer, carver and printer were separate specialists. The ideal was that the artist drew, carved and printed their own work, and the artist's signature, edition number and seal became the mark of authorship. The movement shaped modern Japanese printmaking and was a counterpart to the commercial shin-hanga prints of the same era.

Colors may slightly vary due to photographic lighting sources or your monitor settings.

The close ups have minor reflection in the acrylic glass.

The print will be shipped insured overseas in a custom made wooden case. 
Cost of transport to the US, Euro 225, is case included.

Wear consistent with age and use.

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