Nishijima Katsuyuki – Ogurayama (Nishijima Katsuyuki – Ogurayama)

Original woodblock print, hand-signed and numbered 442/500 by the artist. First published in 1991.

A superb woodblock print by Katsuyuki Nishijima. In stead of the more common sunset skies above villages or traditional Japanese rooftops, here Katsuyuki Nishijima showdepicts the sunset glow above a mountain ridge, partly shining through the silhouettes of trees on the top of the ridge. The colorful last moments of the day still contrast sharply with the mountain already cloaked in darkness.

Image size (excluding margins): 25.8 * 37.9 cm (10.2 * 14.9 in).

The print is in excellent state. There are foxing spots at the outer edge of the margins.

The pictures shown here are from the print itself.

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Nishijima Katsuyuki b. 1945) is a prolific and popular Japanese woodblock artist. He has been perfecting his art since half a century, working in the Sosaku Hanga (creative prints) style, and thus carving and printing all by himself.

He has developed a completely unique style, making his prints recognizable from across the room. Common themes are country side landscapes and city scenes. Here, the scenes do not show people or modern tools, creating a timeless beauty, where, to an extent, it is possible to imagine oneself being in the present or a century earlier just as easily.

Nishijima Katsuyuki signs his prints, but many of the designs are unnumbered. With many designs and possibly recurring editions for his unnumbered prints, it seems that it was possible for him to keep them relatively affordable.

See an overview of Nishijima Katsuyuki's woodblock prints