Girl in Grey

Medium:: Woodblock print
Edition:: Self-printed
Source:: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

Typical Price

Exceptional or early edition Saito print in fine condition: $3,000–$15,000
Good condition mid-career print: $500–$2,000
Standard edition: $200–$600

Description

The grey palette of this girl portrait—cool silver-grey and off-white, possibly with dark accents for hair and eyes—suggests Saito working in a more restrained register than his boldly colored temple prints. His grey-toned works often have a particular formal clarity, color contrast eliminated in favor of tonal modulation, the figure emerging from the background through value rather than hue. The result is often his most Japanese-feeling work, closest to the monochrome ink tradition his [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) practice departed from.