Chris Uhlenbeck

Discover the timeless beauty of Kawase Hasui, the master of shin hanga, in this stunning new book, featuring his most breathtaking woodblock prints and expert insights into his legacy. Kawase Hasui (1883–1957) was one of the most important and prolific Japanese printmakers of the 20th century. He was one of the main creators of the shin hanga (‘new prints’) movement, whose artists depicted traditional subjects in a style influenced by Western painting. Shin hanga prints are harmoniously balanced designs, printed on the highest quality paper using the finest pigments, and in small editions. They are the fruit of a traditional yet successful collaboration between artist, publisher, block cutter and printer and have become increasingly popular among collectors of Japanese prints in the last decade. Hasui began his artistic career studying Japanese painting. However, soon after seeing Shinsui’s Eight Views of Lake Biwa series, Hasui turned to woodblock printing in 1919. Shozaburo Watanabe was the first to recognize his artistic genius, and Hasui Kawase soon became the most popular artist working for this prestigious publisher. He produced nearly a thousand woodcuts in a career that spanned almost forty years. Towards the end of his life, the Japanese government recognized him as a ‘Living National Treasure’ for his contribution to Japanese culture.

- Japanese prints, and Japan in general, are highly popular nowadaysbr- Japanese printmaking in the first half of the 20th century is relatively unknownbr- Growing number of collectors of the genre of shin hanga modern prints] in the US and in Europe- Book contains a unique selection of prints, drawn from two private collections, and from the family of publisher Watanabe, who was the driving force behind the new print movement- Accompanies a traveling exhibition in 3 countriesTwentieth-century Japanese printmaking has come in for relatively little attention. Classic Hokusai and Hiroshige landscapes and Utamaro's beautiful images of women remain the dominant form. All the same, since the 1990s museums and private collectors have shown a growing interest in shin hanga ('new prints'): balanced designs printed on luxurious paper, with the finest pigments and in smaller editions. They are the fruit of the traditional yet highly successful collaboration between artist, publisher, block-cutter and printer. It is not so much in their subject matter as their visual language that shin hanga prints set themselves apart from their traditional precursors. Where the classically depicted women were stylized and idealized, their more recent counterparts are based on real models, individually recognizable and full of emotion. The modern landscapes, meanwhile, are impressionistic rather than figurative, using a range of color nuances to achieve highly atmospheric results. This book offers a unique selection with which to explore 20th-century Japanese printmaking. The prints it reproduces are mostly drawn from two large private collections, and, by way of great exception, items from the family collection of the publisher Watanabe, the man who started it all.

This is the first modern study on Japanese erotic print art (so called shunga) and shows highlights from the oeuvre of Kitagawa Utamaro, Katsushika Hokusai, Suzuki Harunobu, Utagawa Kunisada, Utagawa Kuniyoshi and many others. Various essays written by international experts describe this fascinating genre in its social, historical and artistic context, discussing themes like homosexuality, voyeurism, life in Edo’s brothels, techniques of composition etc.