Greeting Card

Date:: c. 1950
Medium:: Woodblock print
Edition:: Self-printed
Source:: Art of Japan

Typical Price

Rare early signed work in excellent condition: $5,000–$25,000
Fine signed mid-century print: $2,000–$8,000
Good condition signed example: $500–$2,500

Description

A greeting card by Munakata — a small-format woodblock print designed for the new year or a special occasion, made around 1950 — belongs to the long tradition of Japanese artists creating [surimono](/glossary/surimono) and nengajo (new year cards) as gifts and expressions of friendship. Munakata's greeting cards maintained the full energy of his larger prints within the intimate format: the image might be a small deity, a character, a landscape fragment, or one of his characteristic women, but it would carry the same direct carving vitality that defined all his work regardless of scale. Such cards circulated within the community of artists, writers, and patrons who formed his world.