$500–$4,000. Common landscapes: $500–$1,500. Key value factors: Maeda Masao's atmospheric mountain and landscape prints have a dedicated following among sosaku-hanga collectors.
Aoi — Chapter 9 of The Tale of Genji, in which Genji's wife Aoi no Ue dies following a spirit possession caused by his jealous lover Lady Rokujou — is one of the most dramatically intense episodes in the novel, and Maeda Masao's illustration captures its darkness and emotional weight within his characteristic pattern-based compositional language. The chapter's themes of jealousy, supernatural possession, and grief gave the artist material of exceptional psychological depth, and his Genji series illustration for Aoi communicates these themes through formal means appropriate to the classical narrative.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Aoi was created by Maeda Masao (前田政雄).
Aoi depicts figures, bijin-ga, and mythology.
