Shoji-View of Garden, Shôwa period, 1960
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Harvard Art Museums
Description
The 1960 Shoji-View of Garden shows Saito using the translucent paper screen not just as a subject but as a compositional device—the shoji frame organizing the garden view behind it into a grid of rectangles, each cell containing a different fragment of the landscape beyond. This treatment turns the garden into an abstract composition, the shoji functioning like the edges of the woodblock print itself, imposing geometric order on natural variety. The visual argument is that Japanese garden design and woodblock printing share a common formal logic.
More Prints by Saito Kiyoshi
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shoji-View of Garden, Shôwa period, 1960 was created by Saito Kiyoshi (斎藤清).
Shoji-View of Garden, Shôwa period, 1960 depicts landscapes, gardens, and interiors.