Wakabayashi
- Date:
- 1982
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 29.4 × 11.9 cm
- Source:
$300–$2,000. Common prints: $300–$800. Key value factors: Schwaberow's mokuhanga prints are modestly priced and accessible to collectors of contemporary printmaking.
"Wakabayashi" is a 1982 [oban](/glossary/oban) color woodblock print by Micah Schwaberow named after a Japanese place or person. Wakabayashi is a common Japanese surname and also a district name found in several cities, including Sendai. The title's simplicity, a single proper noun, suggests the print captures the essential character of its subject without embellishment. Schwaberow's method of working in traditional mokuhanga, carving cherry or shina plywood blocks and printing with water-based [sumi](/glossary/sumi) and mineral pigments, gives the print a material quality distinct from Western printmaking techniques. The oban format provides generous space for the composition to develop, whether the subject is a landscape associated with the Wakabayashi name or a more abstract response to a personal encounter. The bare title invites viewers to meet the image on its own terms rather than through descriptive language.
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Wakabayashi was created by Micah Schwaberow in 1982.
Wakabayashi depicts landscapes and travel scenes.
Wakabayashi measures 29.4 × 11.9 cm (Oban format).
