Steam

"Steam" likely depicts a figure within a Japanese bathhouse (sento) or hot spring (onsen), a subject Paul Binnie has explored repeatedly throughout his career. The print draws on the long tradition of bath imagery in [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e) — from Kiyonaga and Utamaro's [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) to the more atmospheric [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) treatments — while bringing a contemporary sensibility to the nude figure. Compositions of this kind rely heavily on [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) (gradient printing), with the printer building up subtle tonal washes to suggest the diffuse atmosphere of rising vapour. The mokuhanga process, using washi, water-based pigments, and a [baren](/glossary/baren), allows for the soft, breathing quality of moisture-laden air that distinguishes such work from Western printmaking. Within Binnie's oeuvre, bath and onsen imagery sits alongside his bijin-ga and figure studies as part of his ongoing engagement with traditional Japanese subjects reimagined through a present-day lens, often featuring contemporary models in classically inflected settings rendered through the collaborative shin-hanga workflow with Japanese carvers and printers.