But here, Yasu Shibata — a master at drawing, carving and printing—did everything
himself. Says Shibata, “I think Emma is the biggest Japanese style woodblock ever
made.
Shibata presented proofs to Close along the way. Close used his deeply ingrained
knowledge of how colors work together to help steer him. These projects
required Close to relinquish a lot of control, in keeping with the
centuries-old tradition of Japanese printmaking collaboration.
Ukiyo-eliterally means “pictures of
the floating world. The term originally referred to late 17th
century Japanese images of the “floating world”—ephemeral pleasures from daily
life like cherry blossoms or fashionable clothing. But their beautiful
appearance became so famous that ukiyo-e now refers generally to this
type of water-based woodblock print.
Shibata worked on this
print for nearly three years. Close teased him, “You know, the painting only
took three months to make. Without missing a beat Shibata replied, “And I have
been looking at this picture longer than Chuck.
|
Title:
Emma,
2002 |
| Process: 120-color
woodblock ukiyo-e print |
| Size: 43 x 35" |
| Edition: 55 |
| Printer: Pace
Editions, Inc., New York (Yasu Shibata) |
| Publisher: Pace
Editions, Inc., New York |
| Part of Exhibition: Yes |
|
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