Crystal

Crystal is one of Maeda Masao's abstract or semi-abstract prints in which the geometric structures of crystalline forms provide the compositional basis for a work that explores the formal properties of regular, repeated geometric pattern. His interest in natural pattern — the hexagonal symmetry of snow crystals, the faceted geometry of mineral formations — extended his sosaku-hanga practice from landscape documentation toward a more abstract engagement with the structural principles underlying natural form. The print demonstrates the range of his compositional interests beyond his better-known landscape subjects.