Before Mountaineering
- Date:
- 1954
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
- Dimensions:
- 42 × 30.2 cm
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Typical Price
$500–$5,000. Common mountain prints: $500–$1,500. Key value factors: Azechi's cheerful mountain prints have consistent demand. Larger and more complex compositions are most valued.
Description
The 1954 Before Mountaineering shows the preparation phase—the gearing up, the checking of equipment, perhaps the final conversation at the base of a route—that precedes the actual climb. Azechi was fascinated by this threshold moment when the climber transitions from the ordinary world to the vertical one, the psychological preparation as important as the physical. His bold, simplified figures shown in the before-state carry a charged quality of imminent departure, everything still to come.
More Prints by Umetaro Azechi
A House in the City (Machi no ie), from the series "Manchuria (Manshu)"
1944 (printed c. 1950 from recut block?)
Color woodblock print; oban
Red Wall (Akai kabe), from the series "Manchuria (Manshu)"
1944 (printed c. 1950 from recut block?)
Color woodblock print; oban
Cemetery at Sengakuji, from the series Recollections of Tokyo
1945
Color woodblock print
Brilliance
1961
Color woodblock print; edition 10/100
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
Before Mountaineering was created by Umetaro Azechi (畦地梅太郎) in 1954.
Before Mountaineering depicts landscapes, figures, and mountains.
Before Mountaineering measures 42 × 30.2 cm.