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
Space-time 37
Etching and aquatint
Fragments Print 1
2025
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock print)
Untitled (elizabeth-keith)
Woodblock print
Fragments Print 2
2025
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock print)
Recollections
Mixed media collage on washi (fabric, paper)
Presence and Impermanence
Mixed media on washi (ink, paper)
Boro 2026.3
Mixed media on washi (ink, paper)
Boro 2026.2
Mixed media on washi (ink, paper)
Boro 2026.1
Mixed media on washi (ink, paper)
Elvis Extra
Collage on washi (paper)
6 Moments
Mixed media on washi (gouache, ink, pencil)
Meiji Beauty No. 3
Mixed media collage on washi (fabric, paper, gesso, found objects)
Winter Solstice
Kozo papers, fiber reactive dyes, joomchi felting
Winter Solstice
Kozo paper, mixed media
Sashiko no Donza
Kozo paper, mixed media
Fragile, Take Care
Relief print
Drawing Together
Relief print
From Under Shifting Sands
Intaglio/relief print
Sand Storm
Relief print
Beginnings
Intaglio print
How Small We Are
Relief print
Onward
Intaglio/relief print
Beyond
Intaglio/relief print
Dream
Intaglio/relief print
Somebody's Dream
Intaglio/relief print
Where II
Intaglio/relief print
Story Upon Story
Intaglio/relief print
New Day I
Relief print
Tsugi Hagi I
Etching, paper collage on washi
Wabi Cats X
Etching, paper collage on washi
Night Shimmer No. 8
Etching, paper collage on washi
Untitled (Circular Mokuhanga I)
Mokuhanga (waterbase woodcut) on washi
Untitled (Circular Mokuhanga II)
Mokuhanga (waterbase woodcut) on washi
Untitled (Circular Mokuhanga III)
Mokuhanga (waterbase woodcut) on washi
Untitled (Circular Mokuhanga IV)
Mokuhanga (waterbase woodcut) on washi
Untitled (Circular Mokuhanga V)
Mokuhanga (waterbase woodcut) on washi
Echoes from the Deep
Mokuhanga woodblock print on washi
Woven Water
Mokuhanga on washi
Dry Brush
Mokuhanga on washi
The Water Table
Mokuhanga woodcut on Echizen Hongusa Torinoko washi
Folded Shadows 39
Mokuhanga on washi
Untitled
1929
Poem 72-81
Woodblock print
Ascent
Mokuhanga collage on wood panel
Oracle
Mokuhanga collage on wood panel
Basho's Winter Garden (Detail)
Multi-block mokuhanga with gold leaf on kozo washi (diptych)
Defining the Edge
Multi-block mokuhanga woodcut on kozo washi
Winter Courtyard Shadows
Multi-block mokuhanga with gold leaf on kozo washi
Wall of Shadows
Mokuhanga woodblock on kozo washi
Space
Digital on washi
Space_1230
Screenprint
Space_0830
Screenprint
Breathe
Etching on washi
Bubble Wrap
Digital on washi
A Gift
Water-based woodcut, screenprint, and walnut dye on washi
Monologue 2
Oil-based etching with aquatint on washi
Pink Floyd
Etching on Hahnemuhle 350 gr paper
Shot 25-1
Oil-based etching with sugar chint/photo-etching on washi
Untitled (yoshijiro-urushibara)
Woodblock print
AKAITAIYO (red sun)
Woodblock print
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.