Japanese Woodblock Prints

During the 1920s to 1960s, a new type of woodblock print, the Shinhanga, were produced in Japan. Shinhanga (literally "new woodblock prints") were produced through a division of labour among the artist, engraver, and printer, as in the case of traditional Japanese woodblock prints. They gave new energy to the field of woodblock printing which had been under pressure by newer media, such as photography and lithography. While the techniques of producing Shinhanga were similar to those of traditional printing, there were significant new developments, through various receptions of Western art.

The publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō (1885-1962) was widely credited for creating the new type of prints and thereby saving the old tradition and technique of Japanese woodblock printing. Although his role as the saviour of the tradition is sometimes exaggerated, there is no doubt that he took it in new directions by hiring contemporary artists to make new designs based on their painted compositions, while using the old techniques of woodblock printing. These artists hired by Watanabe included famous painters such as Hashiguchi Goyō (1880-1921) and Itō Shinsui (1898-1972) for evocative images of women, Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) and Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950) for romantic landscapes, as well as dozens of other artists, some more well-known than others.

This exhibition will focus on the Shinhanga landscape prints that were created by these artists. The artists were no longer satisfied by the older landscape styles of Hokusai and Hiroshige, but wanted to take the tradition into new directions. These included new topics, new compositions, and new international themes. Hiroshi Yoshida, for example, travelled to the West in search for new topics, represented here by views of Switzerland. He also depicted the same location at different times of the day, an idea picked up from Claude Monet and the impressionists.

It is no accident that many of the buyers of Shinhanga were western collectors (as, for example, Princess Diana and Steve Jobs), as the prints give a sense of speaking to a wider world, although they often show scenes of traditional Japan. Just as Franz Gertsch came to use Japanese paper for his woodcuts, the printed art of the twentieth century, whether in Japan or in Switzerland became profoundly universal in its techniques, images, and appeal.

This exhibition combines images of Japan and Switzerland in the museum honouring Franz Gertsch, a man who also spanned the two regions. It will focus on the iconic images of Switzerland created by Yoshida and will also feature other shinhanga artists noted for their innovative images of Japan.

The exhibition is curated by Prof. Dr. Hans Bjarne Thomsen. The exhibition catalogue will be published by Modo Press, Frankfurt am Main.