Sadao Watanabe (Japanese, 1913-1996), woodcut print entitled, "The Good Samaritan," dating to 1976 CE. A colorful signed woodcut stencil print by Sadao Watanabe depicting The Good Samaritan having placed the suffering traveler upon his horseback with other figures in the background. The bold expressive style and religious iconography are characteristic of Watanabe, a Japanese Christian artist whose biblical prints were delineated in the Japanese mingei (folk art) tradition and whose works have been exhibited in major museums throughout the world, including the Vatican, the White House, and the Louvre. Set in a custom spring green mat and dark wood frame under glass. Size: print measures ~ 11.25" L x 14" W (28.6 cm x 35.6 cm); 20.5" L x 22.75" W (52.1 cm x 57.8 cm) matted and framed
Sadao Watanabe was born in Tokyo in 1913, was baptized Christian in 1930, and throughout his career, based his designs exclusively on biblical subjects. This said, the Christian stories and figures of his works are interpreted via traditional Japanese techniques. Watanabe took part in the folk-art movement in Japan which began in the 1930's as an attempt to preserve various traditional arts, among them stencil printing which Watanabe appreciated. Watanabe and Yoshitoshi Mori were the best-known 'sosaku hanga' artists who used the medium called kappazuri (stencil printing), a technique related to 'katazome' (stencil dyeing) which originated in Okinawa (the technique there was called 'bingata').
Provenance: private Ventura County, California USA collection
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#125559
Condition
Certificate of Authenticity on the verso. Minor scuffs to the wood frame. Print and mat in overall excellent condition. Artist's signature is quite legible.