Abstract Prints (2049)
Abstract prints represent a revolutionary departure in Japanese printmaking, emerging primarily through the sosaku-hanga (creative prints) movement of the mid-twentieth century. While traditional ukiyo-e and shin-hanga were rooted in representational imagery, abstract works embraced non-figurative composition, exploring color, texture, and form for their own expressive potential. The abstract turn in Japanese printmaking gained international recognition in the 1950s and 1960s, when artists like Yoshida Hodaka, Maki Haku, and Tajima Hiroyuki won major prizes at the Sao Paulo and Venice Biennales. These artists developed distinctive approaches to abstraction — from Maki's layered cement-and-ink surfaces to Tajima's vibrant geometric compositions — that drew on Japanese aesthetic principles while engaging with global modernist movements. The woodblock medium proved uniquely suited to abstract expression, offering possibilities for textural experimentation through woodgrain impression, selective inking, and the interaction between handmade washi paper and carved surfaces. Many abstract printmakers exploited the material qualities of the block itself, allowing the wood's natural grain to become an active compositional element rather than merely a vehicle for an image.
Artists Known for Abstract
Mirror (Kagami)
Woodblock print
Number 70
Woodblock print
Untitled (paul-jacoulet)
1947
Woodblock print
Beyond Wood 1
2002
Woodblock print on paper (mokuhanga)
Hibiki 3
響 3
Woodblock print on paper (mokuhanga)
Hibiki 5
響 5
Woodblock print on paper (mokuhanga)
Sand Currents
2020
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Breathing Space #1
2015
Woodcut monoprint, Akua Intaglio inks
Untitled, flags
Woodblock print
Generation
2002
Mokuhanga on washi
Blackout
2013
Mokuhanga on Gozen washi
Eye Cup (Counterfeit)
2008
Mokuhanga and rubber stamp on washi
Secret Flower
2006
Mokuhanga
Migrating Gyre
2008
Mokuhanga
Rococo Puff
2007
Mokuhanga
Love Beyond Reason
2017
Mokuhanga
Cranefly Moon
2016
Mokuhanga
Spider Biter
2018
Mokuhanga
Pests of Public Importance
2017
Mokuhanga
Attractor
2006
Mokuhanga
Crane Fly Mandala
2005
Mokuhanga
Angel
2015
Woodcut on mura washi
Reversal
2015
Woodcut on mura washi
Flyway
2015
Woodcut on mura washi
Cranefly Solstice
2016
Woodcut on mura washi
Bird Twins
2024
Mokuhanga
Leaving New York
2007
Mokuhanga
Hex
2006
Mokuhanga
The Flight of Birds: Circling
2024
Mokuhanga
Your Flight Has Been Cancelled
2022
Mokuhanga
Cloud Cleaner
2022
Mokuhanga
Blooming Sky 1
2017
Mokuhanga
Sweet Dreams
2016
Mokuhanga
Dream Seller
2012
Mokuhanga
1000 Wingbeats for One Drop of Nectar
2011
Mokuhanga
Magic Blanket
2006
Mokuhanga
Nexus
Sumi-e painting
Saga
Lithograph with hand-applied sumi-e ink
Road
Color lithograph
Work 73 - 8 - B (Nothing)
Woodblock print
Fukei Yami W-115 (Landscape-Night W-115)
Woodblock print
Winds and Moon
Woodblock print
Source
1980s
Woodblock print, ink on paper
After the Rain
1968
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Take II (Bamboo B2)
竹 B2
Sumi ink on paper mounted on plywood
Sound
Lithograph
Sprout No. 5
Lithograph
Music-4
Lithograph
Breathing Space #2
2015
Woodcut monoprint, Akua Intaglio inks
Untitled (shiko-munakata)
1957
Woodblock print
Breathing Space #4
2015
Woodcut monoprint, Akua Intaglio inks
Ink 19
Ink acrylic on paper
Red Sphere No 3-S
Silkscreen
Red Sphere No. 7
Silkscreen
Blue Sphere V-E
Silkscreen
Impression of Arc
Woodblock print
Impression of Arc 87-8
Woodblock print
Shark-Spot Pattern - 鮫小紋
circa 1970s (this item: First edition)
Woodblock print
Spring (Four Seasons of Lemons)
Woodblock print and silkscreen
Black Night Ginza (One Hundred Views of Tokyo)
Woodblock print and silkscreen
Related Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
Abstract prints represent a revolutionary departure in Japanese printmaking, emerging primarily through the sosaku-hanga (creative prints) movement of the mid-twentieth century. While traditional ukiyo-e and shin-hanga were rooted in representational imagery, abstract works embraced non-figurative composition, exploring color, texture, and form for their own expressive potential.
Maki Haku, Onchi Koshiro, and Nana Shiomi are among the artists most associated with abstract in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.
Hanga currently catalogues 2049 prints tagged with abstract, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.