Fighting between a rat and a cat (title not original)
by Ogata Gekko
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna
by Ogata Gekko
$500–$8,000. Common subjects: $500–$1,500. Key value factors: Gekko's prolific output makes most of his work affordable. Quality varies significantly.
The fighting rat and cat—in a print labeled as having a non-original title—suggests this work may have come without a reliable attribution, or that the whimsical subject was given a descriptive title after the fact. The rat fighting a cat—the natural prey turning on its predator—carried a long tradition in Japanese humorous art, the reversed power relationship a vehicle for social commentary. Gekko's version likely treats the animal combat with the same dramatic energy he applied to human warrior conflicts.
Hebizukai
1932
Color woodblock print; oban
1935
Color woodblock print; oban
1964
Acrylic paint and oil pastel with oiled charcoal and ink over an ink and graphite underdrawing on paper
1964
Color lithograph with relief block and hand coloring; edition 35/36
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Fighting between a rat and a cat (title not original) was created by Ogata Gekko (尾形月耕).
Fighting between a rat and a cat (title not original) depicts animals and cats.
