Expanding the Surface

In Edo-period Japan (1603-1867), printmaking was a serious commercial venture as well as an artistic undertaking. In the printer's workshop, speed and efficiency were essential for cost-effective production. To facilitate this process, images were usually printed from a set of carved woodblocks of the same size onto a standard-size sheet of paper. These precut sheets were cut from larger standard-size sheets, making the process of paper production simpler. Toward the end of the 18th century, artists began to combine two or more sheets to expand the surface area available for their compositions. This innovation made possible sweeping designs of panoramic landscape views and more elaborate figural arrangements.The examples in this gallery illustrate how Japanese printmakers learned to manipulate the multiple-panel format to unify and dramatize their subjects. Most striking, of course, are the two vertical prints, both by Kunichika. The Toyohiro pentatych (five-panel print) exhibited in the case is a much earlier experiment in a horizontal multipaneled format. Contemporary with Toyohiro's small-scale panoramic view is Eizan's Fashionable Winding-Water Banquet, which creates a sense of deep spatial recession. Shigekatsu isolates each of his three kabuki actors within a single panel, utilizing a typical compositional device to monumentalize them against a plain background. In yet another compositional variation, Eisen's triptych depicts a densely crowded street scene, where the perspective frames and emphasizes recession into space. Landscape subjects were effective on the grander scale as well. The visual impact of these powerful designs is a clear indication of the resilience and creativity of Japanese printmakers. This exhibition is a telling example of how these artists constantly revitalized their tradition through innovations in format, composition, and subject.