A “common scene” from Ogata Gekko’s “Gekko’s Essays”, this woodblock print shows a farmer, a lord, and two ladies being ferried across the water. GEKKO’S ESSAY – GEKKO ZUIHITSU. The series Gekko Zuihitsu (Gekko’s Essay) is among Ogata Gekko’s major works, created in 1886 and 1887. The series was published by Matsuki Heikichi in 1887 and consists of 47 designs plus a title page. The format of the single sheets is oban tate-e (portrait format). The subjects are a diverse collection – history, mythology, warriors, poets, common and not so common people. Gekko’s great contemporary Yoshitoshi had created around the same time a large series with no focus on a specific content, the series Tsuki Hyakushi (“Hundred Aspects of the Moon”). But while Yoshitoshi’s hundred designs have the image of the moon as common bond, the Gekko series is missing any formal or contents-related bond. Only the design frame with title and text cartouche and the typical Gekko style of composition and mostly subdued colors make the prints recognizable as part of a series. This woodblock print is approximately 9? (Aiban) and adhered to a backing in good condition, which we credit for keeping the print itself in great condition. The colors are sharp, with incredible usage of embossing to be seen as well as metalic pigment (silver) details throughout. He was self-taught in art, won numerous national and international prizes, and was one of the earliest Japanese artists to win an international audience. Gekko was self-taught in art and began by decorating porcelain and rickshaws, and designing flyers for the pleasure quarters. Around 1881 he took the surname Ogata at the insistence of a descendant of the painter Ogata Korin. He soon was designing prints and illustrating books and newspapers. In 1886 Gekko produced the print series Gekko Zuihitsu???? In 1888, he married an art student of his, Tai Kiku, his second marriage, and changed his family name to Tai. The First Sino-Japanese War was the subject of a number of triptychs he designed in 1894-95. From the 1890s onward Gekko won a number of art prizes, both national and international, one of the earliest Japanese artists to win international attention. This item is in the category “Antiques\Asian Antiques\Japan\Prints”. The seller is “dkutcher” and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, Korea, South, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Republic of, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei Darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French Guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macau, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Vietnam, Uruguay.
- Featured Refinements: Japanese Woodblock Print
- Region of Origin: Japan
- Age: 1850-1899
- Primary Material: Paper
- Original/Reproduction: Antique Original