by Reika Iwami
$1,000–$8,000. Common prints: $1,000–$2,500. 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.
Edition 30 of 50, created in 1977, Sea in April captures the ocean during early spring, when winter's heavy seas begin to moderate and the water takes on the clearer, lighter qualities associated with warming temperatures. April in Japan is the month of cherry blossoms and new beginnings, and the sea reflects this transitional energy in its shifting color palette and wave patterns. Iwami's woodblock print translates the specific character of an April ocean into abstract form, using color choices and compositional rhythms tuned to the season. The spring sea differs from summer's glassy calm, autumn's gray turbulence, and winter's dark violence, and Iwami's decision to title the work by month rather than by visual description anchors the abstract image to a temporal and sensory experience that viewers in a maritime country would recognize.
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.
Sea in April was created by Reika Iwami (岩見禮花) in 30/50, 1977.
Sea in April depicts seascapes.
