#woodblocks — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

Your art history post for today: by Hasui Kawase 川瀬巴水 (Japanese, 1883–1957), Azalea Garden, 1935, color woodblock print. As a print, it appears in many collections, both public and private. #arthistory #JapaneseArt #woodblocks #printmaking

From Newfields, a Place for Nature & the Arts: “From 1900 to the 1950s, Hasui was one of the most prolific and popular landscape artists working in Japan. In 1953 the Japanese Government decided to designate Hasui a Living National Treasure. Much of Hasui's work was aimed at an overseas audience, yet his prints unfailingly capture the lyricism and beauty of Japan.”

From me, a word about the tan discoloration of the border. This is called “mat burn.” From The Conservation Center, Chicago: “Mat burn is a darkening due to an artwork being in proximity to an acidic mat, so the discoloration will be at the margins (and often in a rectangular shape) on the front and often overall on the back of an artwork. Poor quality mats made from paper with heavy wood pulp content is chemically unstable and acidic. The wood pulp decomposes over time, releasing acid which migrates into the absorbent paper of the artwork.” So, whenever you have a work on paper framed, be sure to specify acid free backing and mat. Yes, it’s a bit more expensive. But worth it.