Under the Blue Sky and Water
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Typical Price
Shotei produced a wide range of subjects throughout his career under publishers Watanabe and Daikokuya. Signed, sealed lifetime editions consistently outperform unsigned export-market copies.
- Export editions or later printings: $100–$500
- Signed lifetime editions: $500–$2,500
- Premium impressions with provenance: $2,500–$8,000
Description
An open sky and water composition of unusual expanse — the blue above continuous with the blue below, the horizon barely distinguishing water from air, the scene reduced to the most elementary elements of marine experience. Shotei's composition pushes toward the abstract simplicity that the open seascape enabled when approached with artistic rather than documentary intention. The absence of vessels, shore, or other objects leaves only the fundamental opposition of sky and sea, the "blue" of the title functioning almost as a color study.
More Prints by Takahashi Shotei
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
Under the Blue Sky and Water was created by Takahashi Shotei (高橋松亭).
Under the Blue Sky and Water was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Under the Blue Sky and Water depicts landscapes and seascapes.