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Waves of Renewal - Modern Japanese prints 1900 to 1960
Selections from the Nihon no Hanga colection, Amsterdam
Hotei Publishing, March 2016; hardcover, 320 pp., c. 380 color ills.
Price:  € 79.00




Chris Uhlenbeck, Amy Reigle Newland and Maureen de Vries

Waves of renewal traces the history of Japanese printmaking following an era of decline beginning
in the late nineteenth century. The early twentieth century witnessed the emergence of two principal
printmaking movements. The first - shin hanga (new print) - reinvented and revitalised the conventional
genres of landscape, beauties and actors. Shin hanga adhered to a traditional production method that
was based on the cooperation between artist, block-cutter, printer and publisher. At the same time,
it strove to forge a new visual language in both style and technique. The second - sosaku hanga
(creative print) - was inspired by the dialogue between Western and Japanese art and aesthetics. In
the main, sosaku hanga adherents advocated the participation of the artist in the entire creative
process from design to production.

Waves of renewal is the most comprehensive publication to date to focus on the holdings of the Nihon
no hanga
collection in Amsterdam. The 277 prints included showcase the sophistication of shin hanga
and the boldness of sosaku hanga. An introductory essay sets the stage, followed by ten shorter essays
by noted scholars in the field that centre on aspects integral to our understanding of early to mid-
twentieth century Japanese printmaking. Each print is documented and annotated in the extensive catalogue
section.

Contributors:
Chris Uhlenbeck; Amy Reigle Newland; Shoichiro Watanabe; Setsuko Abe; Kendall H. Brown; Mikiko
Hirayama; Junko Nishiyama; Chiaki Ajioka; Noriko Kuwahara; Kiyoko Sawatari; Maureen de Vries.




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