Coleus
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
- Image courtesy of
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
Taisui's third coleus design continues the systematic examination of this foliage plant's visual properties across the nine-print series. Unlike kacho-e subjects that incorporate seasonal birds or flowering branches, the coleus prints depend entirely on leaf form and color for their visual argument — a formally rigorous approach. This variant likely experiments with the density of foliage in frame, perhaps showing a fuller cluster or a more isolated single stem than adjacent prints. The Sakai-Kawaguchi workshop's precision in pigment mixing and block registration would have been essential in maintaining the distinct color zones within each leaf — particularly the crisp demarcation between central and marginal coloration that gives coleus leaves their ornamental character.
More Prints by Inuzuka Taisui
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coleus was created by Inuzuka Taisui (犬塚泰水).


