Currently not on view
Fish and Flower and Female Buddha,
1957
Munakata Shikō 棟方志功, 1903–1975; born Aomori, Japan; died Tokyo, Japan
Japanese
Shōwa era, 1926–1989
x1964-34
Self-taught, Munakata has become one of the best-known Japanese artists of the twentieth century. He devoted most of his career to printmaking, developing an instantly recognizable style that combines the folk traditions of his home region in northern Japan with Buddhist imagery. This print dates from the post-War period and demonstrates Munakata’s bold, black-and-white graphic style, in which the figures are rendered with strong, sharp lines. The figure is unidentified, but her dynamically seated pose and uptilted head convey an individuality that is unusual compared to traditional Buddhist iconography.
Information
Title
Fish and Flower and Female Buddha
Dates
1957
Maker
Medium
Woodblock print; black ink on ivory colored Japanese Kozo 楮 (mulberry) paper
Dimensions
block: 45.1 × 33.3 cm (17 3/4 × 13 1/8 in.)
sheet: 45 × 33 cm (17 11/16 × 13 in.)
mat: 49 × 36.3 cm (19 5/16 × 14 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of William M. Milliken, Class of 1911
Object Number
x1964-34
Place Made
Asia, Japan
Signatures
Signed in pencil in Japanese and English, below bottom edge of block, left, and dated: 1957.12.5
Culture
Period
Techniques
Subject
William M. Milliken, Class of 1911 (1889–1978), by 1964; given to the Princeton University Art Museum, 1964.
