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Conservatory IV, Shôwa period, dated 1965 by Naoko Matsubara — Japanese Woodblock print

Conservatory IV, Shôwa period, dated 1965

by Naoko Matsubara

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Harvard Art Museum

Description

The fourth installment in Matsubara's Conservatory series, dated 1965, suggests continued engagement with the botanical greenhouse as a formal and conceptual subject over at least three years. By this point in the series, she would have developed a refined visual language for the subject: the interplay between the conservatory's rectilinear iron-and-glass architecture and the dense, irregular growth of the plants within. The later date may indicate a shift toward greater abstraction or structural simplification relative to the first print, as series work often moves toward distillation of essential forms. Printed on washi and carved entirely by Matsubara following sosaku-hanga principles, the surface likely retains visible tool marks that contribute to the image's expressive texture, with the grain of the woodblock appearing as an active element within broader color fields.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Conservatory IV, Shôwa period, dated 1965 was created by Naoko Matsubara (松原直子).

Conservatory IV, Shôwa period, dated 1965 depicts architecture, gardens, and trees.