Kawase Hasui: capturing the soul of Japan

Abstract

"Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) was one of the most influential Japanese print artists of the twentieth century. A leading figure of the shin hanga movement and a prodigious designer of landscape prints, Hasui combined traditional Japanese themes with Western techniques, such as perspective and lighting. Kawase Hasui: Capturing the Soul of Japan offers a richly illustrated overview of Hasui's almost forty-year career, with special attention given to recurring themes in his art, from the tranquil villages of the Shiobara hot-springs district to the shifting urban landscapes of Tokyo. Hasui produced some six hundred woodblock prints, numerous watercolours as well as illustrations for magazines and postcard-sized prints that to date have been little researched. His activity coincided with a period of Japan's changing national identity and this publication explores how elements of state propaganda at times subtly shaped his choice of motifs, a trend also seen in the work of other shin hanga contemporaries. Also included in this volume is a discussion of print variations and the use of seals in identifying Hasui prints, which assists readers - scholars, collectors and enthusiasts of Japanese art - to have a deeper understanding of this important print artist." -- Provided by publisher.

Contents

Kawase Hasui: Life and appreciation / Chris Uhlenbeck -- Defining shin hanga / Chris Uhlenbeck -- Hasui's prints: Reflections of Japan through peace, war and occupation / Jim Dwinger -- The broad brush of Hasui's art: Illustrator and painter / Jim Dwinger -- The Watanabe Company and the production of shin hanga / Watanabe Shōichirō and Watanabe Akiko -- Variations, quality differences, copyright seals and numbering / Chris Uhlenbeck -- Catalogue / Jim Dwinger, Juliette Melenhorst, Philo Ouweleen, Flame Rikkers, Chris Uhlenbeck -- Hasui, travelling in Japan / Juliette Melenhorst.