Hasui 川瀬巴水: Proof Print for Moon at Magome (Sold)

Artist: Kawase Hasui 川瀬巴水
Title: Studio Proof for Moon at Magome  Date: 1930

A test printing for the process of creating the woodblock print Moon at Magome, from by the publisher Watanabe. This proof would have been presented by the carvers and printers for Hasui to inspect. After the printing and carving of the keyblock, the next step would be for the color separations, which were extremely subtle and complex. There was a great deal of back-and-forth between the artist and the carver and printer; here, a blue is used to test the background block of some of the night sky. We see how the sky had to just touch the outlines of the tree, and the clouds and moon were also created using negative space. From this proof we can see that at least three blocks were required just to print the sky and clouds. This work even has a repaired tear in it; perhaps it was disposed of in the studio and then “rescued” by someone who worked there. Watanabe Shôzaburô held complete control of his workshops, and it is rare to find proof prints or sets, as these were something of a trade secret. The Edo-Tokyo Museum has an example of the keyblock of this work. Watanabe did create one booklet that was exported that showed the process to create the 1920 work Kude Beach, Wakasa, this is shown in the 2013 Folk Museum of Ota City catalog by Hisao Shimizu pages 20-24. There is no Hasui nor seal yet, as this is an early proof print. 

The finished design is one of Hasui’s most celebrated evening designs, and is shown on the cover of numerous catalogs on the artist.

Condition: Condition must be accepted, as this is a unique proof print. With several folds, one of them very strong (may even be a repaired tear), and some staining.

Dimensions: ôban 38.6 x 26 cm
Publisher: Watanabe Shôzaburô
Literature: The finished print is Narazaki 169 and Brown/Hotei 165.

SKU: HAS652