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Date:: 1958
Medium:: Woodblock print
Edition:: Self-printed
Source:: Scholten Japanese Art

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

Dated 1958, this woodblock print by Shiko Munakata comes from the period shortly after his triumph at the 1956 Venice Biennale, where he won the international Grand Prize for printmaking. By 1958, Munakata was at the height of his powers and international fame, producing prints with the vigorous, spontaneous carving style that had become his signature. He worked rapidly, often completing a block in a single session, gouging into the cherry wood with broad, confident strokes that left the surface alive with texture. The resulting prints carry an energy that feels closer to action painting than to the meticulous craft of traditional woodblock printing. Munakata saw himself as a channel for Buddhist spiritual energy, and his prints from this period often pulse with a devotional intensity that transcends their visual subjects.