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This maritime subject is uncommon in Capelari's small body of work, making it particularly desirable. As one of the first Western artists to collaborate with Watanabe, Capelari's prints hold foundational importance in shin-hanga history. Pre-earthquake impressions command $3,000-$7,000, while later reprints range $1,500-$3,000.
This color woodblock print from around 1916 depicts fishing boats, a subject that allowed Fritz Capelari to combine his interest in Japanese coastal life with his European training in maritime painting. The [oban](/glossary/oban) format provides a horizontal or vertical field suited to showing vessels on water, their sails and hulls reflected in the surface below. Japanese fishing boats of the early 20th century retained traditional designs that had changed little over centuries: wooden hulls, cotton sails, and shallow drafts suited to coastal waters and river mouths. Capelari would have observed these boats firsthand during his stay in Japan, sketching their forms before translating the designs into compositions for Watanabe's workshop to carve and print. The woodblock medium's flat color areas are well suited to rendering the geometric planes of sails and the broad surface of calm water.
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Fishing Boats was created by Fritz Capelari (フリッツ・カペラリ) in c. 1916.
Fishing Boats was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (c. 1916).
Fishing Boats depicts landscapes, boats & ships, and seascapes.
