Sadao Watanabe (Japanese, 1913-1996) "The Nativity" Color woodblock on crinkled Momigami paper. Signed, dated (1961) and numbered (153/200) in white ink.
Sadao Watanabe born and raised in Tokyo, was a Japanese printmaker in the 20th Century. He was famous for his Biblical prints rendered in the mingei (folk art) tradition of Japan. As a student of the master textile dye artist Serizawa Keisuke (1895-1984), Watanabe was associated with the mingei (folk art) movement. The subject matter of Watanabe's prints is exclusively the gospel rendered in the mingei (folk art) approach. Influenced by Buddhist figure prints, Watanabe placed Biblical subjects in a Japanese context. In The Last Supper (1981) Watanabe depicts the disciples in kimono. On the table are bottles of sake and sushi. Watanabe uses kozo paper (from mulberry tree) and momigami (kneaded paper). The momigami paper was crumpled by hand, squeezed and wrinkled to give a rough quality to the prints. The katazome method uses traditional organic and mineral pigments in a medium of soybean milk. The protein in the milk bound the colors to the paper's surface. The use of natural materials is one of the characteristics of mingei (folk art).
Sheet Size: 23 x 29 in.
Overall Framed Size: 29.75 x 32.5 in.
Framed behind glass.
Condition
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