Umbrellas

Created in 2003, this mokuhanga print takes the Japanese umbrella, or wagasa, as its subject. Umbrellas in Japan are both practical rain gear and aesthetic objects, their oiled paper canopies creating translucent domes of color when backlit by daylight. Brayer likely responds to the visual phenomenon of clustered umbrellas seen from above or at a distance, where individual forms merge into an overlapping mosaic of circles and color. The woodblock medium's capacity for broad, flat color areas makes it well suited to rendering the smooth curves and saturated hues of umbrella canopies. Rain scenes appear throughout the history of Japanese prints, from Hiroshige's famous downpours to Hasui's quiet drizzles, and Brayer's abstract treatment adds a contemporary chapter to this lineage.