Cat (Neko), from the series Steady Gaze (Gyôshi)
- Series:
- Steady Gaze
- Date:
- 1958
- Medium:
- Wood block for printing
- Dimensions:
- 75.9 × 41 cm
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
The 1958 woodblock printing block for this cat image is an unusual museum acquisition—the carved wooden matrix rather than the printed impression. Such objects reveal the spatial logic of the sosaku-hanga process: the artist's carving decisions recorded as raised and hollowed surfaces, the design literally cut into wood. Saito's bold style required confident, decisive cutting—areas of flat color demanding the same commitment as brushwork in painting, with no erasure possible once the chisel had passed.
More Prints by Saito Kiyoshi
More Animals Prints
Snake Charmers (Hebizukai)
Hebizukai
1932
Color woodblock print; oban
Hoshifuri Pine at Zen'yoji Temple in Edogawa (Edogawa-ku Zen'yoji Hoshifuri matsu), from the series "One Hundred Views of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era (Showa dai Tokyo fukei hyaku zue hanga)"
1935
Color woodblock print; oban
Drawing for Rabbit and Boy
1964
Acrylic paint and oil pastel with oiled charcoal and ink over an ink and graphite underdrawing on paper
Rabbit and Boy
1964
Color lithograph with relief block and hand coloring; edition 35/36
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cat (Neko), from the series Steady Gaze (Gyôshi) was created by Saito Kiyoshi (斎藤清) in 1958.
Yes — Cat (Neko), from the series Steady Gaze (Gyôshi) is part of the Steady Gaze series by Saito Kiyoshi.
Cat (Neko), from the series Steady Gaze (Gyôshi) depicts animals and cats.
Cat (Neko), from the series Steady Gaze (Gyôshi) measures 75.9 × 41 cm.