Key value factors: As self-carved and self-printed works, sosaku-hanga value is tied to the artist's reputation and edition size. Larger formats, earlier editions, and historically significant works command the highest prices.
This woodblock print takes the concept of a love letter as its subject, evoking the long tradition of written romantic correspondence in Japanese culture. From the perfumed letters exchanged by Heian-era courtiers to the modern practice of written confessions, the love letter occupies a central place in Japanese romantic customs. Okamoto Yoshimi's print may depict, suggest, or abstractly evoke the act of writing, reading, or delivering a love letter, translating a literary and epistolary tradition into the visual language of woodblock printing. The print's subject connects naturally to Okamoto's "First Love" series, as letters are often the medium through which early romantic feelings find their first expression. The woodblock's own process of transferring an image from one surface to another mirrors the love letter's function of transferring emotion from one person's heart to another's understanding.
Love Letter was created by Okamoto Yoshimi (岡本吉実).
Love Letter depicts calligraphy and abstract.
