Calmness
- Date:
- 1954
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- ukiyo-e.org
Description
A 1954 print whose single-word title suggests a state of being rather than a scene or action. Sekino's "Calmness" works against the expectation that mid-century Japanese prints should be dramatic or picturesque, instead committing to stillness as a subject in itself. Whether the image depicts a figure, a landscape, or an interior, the title frames it as an emotional condition — and in the postwar period, calmness was something hard won.
More Prints by Jun'ichiro Sekino
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
Calmness was created by Jun'ichiro Sekino (関野準一郎) in 1954.
Calmness uses Nishiki-e, Moku-hanga, and Kento, on woodblock print.
Calmness depicts landscapes and abstract.