COLLECTION NAME:
Louis Black Collection of Japanese Prints
Record
Collection:
Louis Black Collection of Japanese Prints, Art History Dept, Cummings Arts Center, Connecticut College, New London
Artist:
KOSON
Culture:
Japan
Title:
Untitled
Medium:
Woodcut
Dimensions (centimeters):
35 x 19 cm
Primary Subject:
animals
Secondary Subject:
birds
Donor:
Louis Black, 1955
Description:
bird in flight emerging from hanging leaves
Originally a trained painter, Koson began designing woodblock prints
during his tenure at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. Due to his collaboration
with the established print publisher Watanabe Shozaburo starting in the mid
1920’s, Koson’s prints became highly successful. Koson
became well recognized for his idyllic flora and fauna prints; it is unknown if
the artist felt a particular connection to the natural world or if Watanabe
pushed Koson to design flower and animal prints in order to capitalize on yet
another genre of the shin hanga. 8 Indeed, the prominent publisher sent the
majority of Koson’s nature-oriented prints to Western countries where they
became immensely popular. As seen in Five White Egrets,
Koson’s prints often incorporate traditional Japanese artistic techniques such
as flat planes of color and a lack of perspective. More common animals (such as the Egret) appealed to
Western buyers simply because the subject matter was easy to understand.
Generally speaking, Koson’s animal scenes are more accessible to Western
audiences because they do not refer to Japanese customs, society or history in
any way.” --Sydney LaBlonde ‘08
Originally a trained painter, Koson began designing woodblock prints
during his tenure at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. Due to his collaboration
with the established print publisher Watanabe Shozaburo starting in the mid
1920’s, Koson’s prints became highly successful. Koson
became well recognized for his idyllic flora and fauna prints; it is unknown if
the artist felt a particular connection to the natural world or if Watanabe
pushed Koson to design flower and animal prints in order to capitalize on yet
another genre of the shin hanga. 8 Indeed, the prominent publisher sent the
majority of Koson’s nature-oriented prints to Western countries where they
became immensely popular. As seen in Five White Egrets,
Koson’s prints often incorporate traditional Japanese artistic techniques such
as flat planes of color and a lack of perspective. More common animals (such as the Egret) appealed to
Western buyers simply because the subject matter was easy to understand.
Generally speaking, Koson’s animal scenes are more accessible to Western
audiences because they do not refer to Japanese customs, society or history in
any way.” --Sydney LaBlonde ‘08
