Sketch for "Early Spring in Togakushi"
by Maeda Masao
- Date:
- 1955
- Medium:
- Charcoal on paper with translulent overlay (woodblock print: 1957.6b)
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
by Maeda Masao
$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.
This charcoal sketch on paper with translucent overlay is the preparatory drawing for Maeda Masao's 1957 woodblock print "Early Spring in Togakushi" (catalog number 1957.6b). Made in 1955, the sketch documents his working process for the mountain landscape subject — Togakushi, the dramatic volcanic caldera in the Nagano mountains known for its deeply forested shrines — with the bold line work and tonal blocking that characterize his mature graphic style. The translucent overlay allowed him to plan the color separations for the eventual woodblock print, making this sketch a rare window into his preparatory process.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Sketch for "Early Spring in Togakushi" was created by Maeda Masao (前田政雄) in 1955.
Sketch for "Early Spring in Togakushi" depicts spring.
