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Descent from the Cross by Sadao Watanabe — Japanese Hand-colored stencil print on crumpled paper; edition 33/70, 1973

Descent from the Cross

by Sadao Watanabe

Date:
1973
Medium:
Hand-colored stencil print on crumpled paper; edition 33/70
Edition:
Self-printed

Description

Dated 1973, the Descent from the Cross — executed on crumpled paper that gives the print's surface a distinctive textural quality — depicts the moment when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus remove the body of Christ from the cross. Watanabe's use of crumpled paper as a printing surface creates an organic, irregular ground that itself becomes expressive: the wrinkled surface suggesting the weight of grief, the tactility of the moment, the imperfection of human sorrow. The limited edition (33/70) marks this as a carefully produced original print.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Descent from the Cross was created by Sadao Watanabe (渡辺禎雄) in 1973.

Descent from the Cross uses Stencil Print, on hand-colored stencil print on crumpled paper; edition 33/70.