Black Cat
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
A black cat — a subject that tests a woodblock printmaker's ability to render a form defined almost entirely by darkness and reflected light. Aoyama Masaharu's black cat composition deploys the technical resources of his exceptional carving and printing practice to create a form that is simultaneously simple (a dark mass) and complex (the subtle differentiation of fur texture, reflected highlights, and the expressive features of the face within the dark field). The black cat in Japanese culture carries ambiguous associations — both as a creature of good fortune and as a figure associated with the mysterious and nocturnal.
More Prints by Aoyama Masaharu
More Animals Prints
Snake Charmers (Hebizukai)
Hebizukai
1932
Color woodblock print; oban
Hoshifuri Pine at Zen'yoji Temple in Edogawa (Edogawa-ku Zen'yoji Hoshifuri matsu), from the series "One Hundred Views of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era (Showa dai Tokyo fukei hyaku zue hanga)"
1935
Color woodblock print; oban
Drawing for Rabbit and Boy
1964
Acrylic paint and oil pastel with oiled charcoal and ink over an ink and graphite underdrawing on paper
Rabbit and Boy
1964
Color lithograph with relief block and hand coloring; edition 35/36
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Black Cat was created by Aoyama Masaharu (青山正治).
Black Cat depicts animals and cats.