Aspens
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
Aspens, whose small round leaves tremble at the slightest air movement and turn a vivid gold each autumn, are among the most dynamic of deciduous trees — and one of Kitaoka's recurring subjects. This composition captures the aspen grove's characteristic qualities: the slim white trunks rising in close-set verticals, the canopy a flickering mass of leaves that compress into planes of color in the woodblock medium. The result hovers between landscape and pure abstraction, the trees both recognizable and reduced to essential formal geometry.
More Prints by Fumio Kitaoka
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Aspens was created by Fumio Kitaoka (北岡文雄).
Aspens depicts landscapes, trees, and autumn foliage.