Kawase Hasui
Japanese 1883–1957
Benten Pond at Shiba, 1929
Color woodblock print
Gift of Paul Schweitzer P.77.28.15

Woodblock Prints by Kawase Hasui

Saturday, March 7, 2009—Sunday, May 31, 2009
Louis W. Hill Jr. Gallery of Japanese Print, Gallery 239
Free Exhibition

Kawase Hasui (1883–1957) was one of the first artists associated with the shin-hanga (literally “new print”) movement that arose in the 1920s. Shin-hanga artists specialized in nostalgic, romanticized views of Japan, which were produced using the time-honored system of enlisting the aid of a publisher, woodblock carvers, and highly skilled printers. Thus, “new” referred to the revival of traditional woodblock print production. In contrast, artists associated with the sosaku-hanga (creative print) movement were inspired by the Western ideal of the independent artist who carved and printed his own designs.

In the wake of the rapid modernization of Japan that began at the end of 19th century, Hasui’s traditional approach to print production—and his conventional subjects—were not immediately popular in Japan. Instead, the first and most ardent collectors of his work were Americans and Europeans who lamented the changes that were taking place in Japan and who longed for the charm and exoticism of the country when it was first “opened” to the West.

This exhibition features 13 prints by Hasui, showing how the artist’s eyes captured the timeless beauty of Japanese scenery in the midst of a major transformation that was taking place in the country.