More from Pittsburgh:
Modern Japanese Prints: 1868–1989
The show includes stop-in-your-tracks stunners by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) who lived his life on the cusp between old and new Japan. Garnered from private collections, these Yoshitoshis from the 36 Ghosts series display his technical brilliance–vignetted color and the exactitude of a fine pen and ink drawing rendered through woodblock printing–as well as his mastery of color, texture and complex composition.
Permanent Collection
The Carnegie moves new work into its contemporary galleries on a regular basis. In years past I have seen gorgeous works by Richard Diebenkorn, Peter Doig, Laura Owens, Luc Tuymans, Rachel Whiteread, Doris Salcedo, various paintings by The Germans (Richter, Kiefer, Baselitz and Polke) as well as a stunning Joan Mitchell (above.)
Two views of a subtle, multi-layered Sigmar Polke.
Deborah- the Yoshitoshi prints were probably cut by a wood-cutting master who worked alongside the printmaker and would translate drawings into cut blocks. Then the master printer would make the prints. This division of labour was common practice by printmakers in Japan in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. More common contemporary custom is for the wood-cut printmaker to make the drawing, block and printing, and the loss of fine cutting is more noticeable since this way of doing things has become the norm. This way of dividing labour in printmaking is similar to the customs in Europe in earlier times when images were not cut by the artist, but rather by specialist craftsmen.
I have seen prints by Munakata and Matsubara, Modern japanese printmakers, and their prints reflect a more casual and vigorous cutting method and resulting in less reliance on the fine knowledge of cutting precise and refined images.
I would sure like to see these Polke paintings first-hand!
Thanks for this elaboration. And yes, it is a stellar Polke.