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European Ships Entering Port by Sumio Kawakami — Japanese Woodblock print, ink and color on paper, 1966

European Ships Entering Port

by Sumio Kawakami

Date:
1966
Medium:
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Dimensions:
43.2 × 46.8 cm
Edition:
Self-printed

Description

"European Ships Entering Port," from 1966, is a later version of one of Kawakami's signature subjects — the arrival of Western sailing ships at a Japanese port, the moment of encounter between maritime Europe and closed Japan. By 1966 Kawakami had been working with this theme for decades, and his treatment reflects the accumulated visual intelligence he had brought to it: the ships rendered with both their historical specificity and their symbolic weight as carriers of change. The plural "ships" suggests a fleet or convoy, giving the scene greater historical grandeur.

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Frequently Asked Questions

European Ships Entering Port was created by Sumio Kawakami (川上澄生) in 1966.

European Ships Entering Port depicts seascapes.

European Ships Entering Port measures 43.2 × 46.8 cm.