Crescent Moon and Sea C
by Reika Iwami
- Date:
- 1991
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and gold leaf on paper
- Dimensions:
- 87 × 59.2 cm
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
by Reika Iwami
$1,000–$8,000. Snow and night scenes tend to command premium prices for this artist. Key value factors: Iwami Reika's luminous abstract prints are among the most sought-after by female Japanese printmakers. Her cosmic and water-inspired works command the highest prices.
Created in 1991, Crescent Moon and Sea C combines woodblock printing with ink and gold leaf on paper, adding a material luminosity to Iwami's ongoing meditation on the relationship between celestial bodies and water. The gold leaf introduces actual reflected light into the composition, mirroring the way moonlight scatters across the ocean's surface. The crescent moon, a slender arc of light in the night sky, casts a proportionally faint illumination that transforms the sea into a field of subtle tonal shifts rather than the bold light-dark contrasts of a full moon scene. The "C" designation indicates this is the third in a series exploring variations on the crescent-moon-and-sea theme. Iwami's use of gold leaf connects her modernist abstract practice to centuries of Japanese decorative art tradition, where gold represented divine light and cosmic presence.
1940
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Boshu Taikai
1925
Color woodblock print; oban
September 1931
Color woodblock print; oban
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Crescent Moon and Sea C was created by Reika Iwami (岩見禮花) in 1991.
Crescent Moon and Sea C depicts seascapes and moonlight.
Crescent Moon and Sea C measures 87 × 59.2 cm.
