Nativity Scene
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
A nativity scene — the birth of Jesus depicted in the visual language of Japanese folk craft — demonstrates Watanabe's sustained return to the central moment of the Christian calendar. Where Western nativity art emphasizes golden halos and architectural grandeur, Watanabe's version deploys the humble materials and direct forms of the mingei tradition: the stable, the family, the animals and visitors all given the same earthy dignity. The katazome stencil technique's bold colors give the scene warmth without sentimentality.
More Prints by Sadao Watanabe
More Religious Prints
The Great Buddha, Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu)
Kamakura Daibutsu
1930
Color woodblock print
Hall of the Great Buddha (Nara Daibutsuden)
1950
Color woodblock print
Great Buddha
大仏
Woodblock print
Clearing after a Snowfall at the Kannon Temple in Asakusa (Asakusa Kannon no yukibare), from the series "Twenty Views of Tokyo (Tokyo nijukkei)"
1926
Color woodblock print; oban
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nativity Scene was created by Sadao Watanabe (渡辺禎雄).
Nativity Scene depicts religious.