Carp
- Date:
- 1952
- Medium:
- Woodcut print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
$500–$8,000. Common later works: $500–$1,500. Key value factors: His enormous output (lived to 102) means most works are accessible. Early black-and-white prints are most valued.
The carp — koi — is one of the most laden symbols in Japanese visual culture, associated with perseverance, good fortune, and masculine strength. Hiratsuka renders a single fish in his characteristic bold outline, the scales' texture inviting the full resources of his knife work. The 1952 woodcut belongs to his postwar natural history subjects, a counterpoint to his architectural documentation.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Carp was created by Hiratsuka Un'ichi (平塚運一) in 1952.
Carp depicts fish and animals.
