Moro vintas, Jolo Sulu
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Art of Japan
Description
This oban woodblock print depicts Moro vintas, the distinctive outrigger sailing boats used by the Moro people of the Sulu Archipelago in the southern Philippines. Keith encountered these vessels during her travels through Southeast Asia, and their colorful sails and elegant hull forms clearly captivated her artistic attention. The vintas, with their vibrantly painted outriggers and woven mat sails, were both functional fishing and trading craft and objects of striking visual beauty. Keith's composition likely captures several boats on the water near Jolo, the principal town of Sulu, their sails creating geometric patterns against the tropical sky. The print records a maritime culture that was already under pressure from modernization, giving the image ethnographic as well as artistic significance.
More Prints by Elizabeth Keith
More Boats & Ships Prints
Ship Alongside Dock, Shôwa period, dated 1954
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Sailing Boats: Night (Hansen, yoru), from the series "Seto Inland Sea (Seto Naikai shu)"
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1926
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Sailing Boats: Morning (Hansen, asa), from the series "Seto Inland Sea (Seto Naikai shu)"
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Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Moro vintas, Jolo Sulu was created by Elizabeth Keith (エリザベス・キース).
Moro vintas, Jolo Sulu was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Moro vintas, Jolo Sulu depicts boats & ships, seascapes, and travel scenes.