Breaking waves (1)

Medium:: Woodblock print
Source:: Ohmi Gallery

Typical Price

Key value factors: As self-carved and self-printed works, sosaku-hanga value is tied to the artist's reputation and edition size. Larger formats, earlier editions, and historically significant works command the highest prices.

Common examples: $100–$500
Good impressions: $500–$2,000
Premium/scarce: $2,000–$10,000

Description

The first of Aoyama Masaharu's breaking-wave compositions — a subject with deep roots in Japanese printmaking, most famously represented by Katsushika Hokusai's Great Wave. Aoyama's approach to the wave subject reflects his sosaku-hanga independence from the Edo-period decorative tradition: his wave is less an ornamental formal exercise than a direct observation of coastal energy, the specific dynamics of water meeting shore rendered with the precision of his carving technique. The wave's form — the upward surge, the curling crest, the explosion of spray — challenges the printmaker to find a visual language for violent movement within the static medium of woodblock printing.