Untitled

This untitled mokuhanga reflects Mankiewicz's grounding in Kyoto-based woodblock printmaking, where he trained before extending the medium into his broader illustration practice. Mokuhanga differs from Western relief printing in its use of water-based pigments, dampened [washi](/glossary/washi), and a hand-pressed [baren](/glossary/baren) rather than a mechanical press, which produces softer transitions and a matte surface distinct from oil-based prints. The absence of a title leaves interpretation open — a choice consistent with much of Mankiewicz's gallery work, which sits apart from his commissioned editorial illustrations where narrative captions are typically supplied. Without a discrete subject heading, the print directs attention to its formal qualities: registration, layered colour fields, and the visible grain of the woodblock surface, all hallmarks of the medium he engages with.