Hasui 巴水: Distant Clouds Over the Sea (Kaijo un’en) (First Edition)

Artist: Kawase Hasui 巴水 (1883-1957)
Title: Distant Clouds Over the Sea (Kaijo un’en)(First Edition)  Date: 1935

A solitary wooden sailboat with a single white sail glides to the left in the distance upon on a glassy sea. It is sunset, and the sea reflects the pink of the clouds, which range above from purple to pink to a blended blue color near the horizon. Our view is from a cliff, and a towering pine is cropped at left, and cliffs topped with more pines are seen to the right, a small inlet in between. Although this work is not dated with a month, the vibrant greens would indicate that it is spring or summer. It is unusual for Hasui to not have noted the specific location of an artwork, but this one captures a scene that would have a similar flavor in numerous locales around Japan. A design that rarely surfaces these days.

This may be considered a first edition, with the Watanabe seal ("D") in the right margin,  which was affixed on prints by the publisher between 1932-1941.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition.  Dimensions: aiban (33.6 x 22 cm)
Publisher: Watanabe Shôzaburô 
Literature: Kendall Brown, Kawase Hasui: The complete woodblock prints, 2003, no. 369. Narazaki #399.  See the National Museum of Asian Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago collections.   Seal: Watanabe  Signature: Hasui with Kawase seal

SKU: HAS657