Obata: “Before the Rain, Mono Lake”. (Sold)

Artist: Chiura Obata
Title: “Before the Rain, Mono Lake”. This nuanced distillation of beauty conveys how powerfully Obata was connected to the California landscape.
Date: 1930

This nuanced, rapturous distillation of beauty conveys how powerfully Obata was connected to the spiritual essence of the California landscape. One of the best designs in the series. From the World Landscape series, the groundbreaking effort that Obata spent all his savings on creating with the highest possible standards. The project employed more than 32 carvers and 40 printers for eighteen months. In order to give the effect of a watercolor, scores of blocks were used for each design, and specially prepared paper was made. Each design required between 100 and 160 impressions to create. In the “Obata’s Yosemite” book, the following text accompanies this image: “Mono Lake shows a maidenly beauty when it is still and quiet. Trembling, the lake awaits the approaching rain, the clouds of which hover over the distant mountain ridges.”

Reportedly 400 impressions of each of the 35 compositions were made, with only the finest 100 selected for the portfolio, and the 10,500 “less perfect” impressions were destroyed.

Publisher: Takamizawa
Literature: Shown in “Obata’s Yosemite”, page 19.
Signature: Unsigned, as is common

SKU: OBA012