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Capricorn, from the Zodiac Series by Akira Kurosaki — Japanese Woodblock print

Capricorn, from the Zodiac Series

by Akira Kurosaki

Medium:
Woodblock print
Source:
Harvard Art Museums
Image courtesy of
Harvard Art Museums

Description

Capricorn, the tenth zodiacal sign associated with earth, structure, and upward ambition, lends itself readily to Kurosaki's architectural geometric sensibility. The sea-goat's dual nature—part fish, part goat—may be encoded in a composition that juxtaposes vertical, ascending forms with more horizontal or fluid elements, rendered in the hard-edged woodblock manner Kurosaki developed through his studies at the Kyoto City University of Arts. Color fields are likely sober and grounded, reflecting the sign's earth-element associations. Each block in the Zodiac series required meticulous carving to maintain the crisp boundaries between color areas, with the flat ink surfaces typical of sosaku-hanga work achieved through careful baren pressure and appropriate ink viscosity on washi.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Capricorn, from the Zodiac Series was created by Akira Kurosaki (黒崎彰).

Capricorn, from the Zodiac Series depicts abstract.