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
Single block print, two tigers
Woodblock print
Endless Day
Woodblock print
Affinity
Woodblock print
Black Rain
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Constellation
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Divide
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Red Sun
1934
Hand-colored woodblock print
Next Mountain
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Pink Icicle
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Pottu
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Raj
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Untitled
1948
Color woodblock print
Germination
Woodblock print
Rumors
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Pink Shell
1948
Color woodblock print
Composition (Form 2)
1955
Color woodblock print
Shade
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Slide
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Slow Rise
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Smoke
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Kawashima Tatsuo (1939- )
Woodblock print
Kawano Kaoru
Woodblock print
Linear Composition I-CGS
1980
Woodblock print, color on paper
Norikane, Hiroto
Woodblock print
Asian Collection Internet Auction
Woodblock print
Split
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Legion of Honor
Woodblock print
Sticks
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Summer
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
White Clouds
Mixed-media print (mokuhanga, silkscreen, intaglio, plant-based pigment)
Retribution
1960
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Untitled (Leaves and string)
20th century
Color woodblock print with leaves and string
Formes
Woodblock print
Face (ours) yellow
Woodblock print
Faces (5people)
Woodblock print
Dream- oban
Woodblock print
A Moment of Silence
2013
Oil-based woodcut on paper
Minami Keiko
Woodblock print
... (cover)
Woodblock print
Unknown
Woodblock print
Set
Woodblock print
Work
Woodblock print
Green and Yellow Landscapes
1947
Color woodblock print
Contemplating Cracking Hoping etc
Woodblock print
Inagaki, Toshijiro
Woodblock print
Ascension (A)
mid 20th century
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Sunscape
Woodblock print
Set
Woodblock print
Harvard Art Museum
Woodblock print
Unknown Monument (C)
Woodblock print
Unknown title
Woodblock print
Print from single block
Woodblock print
Nagase, Yoshiro
Woodblock print
Cloudscape (16/45)
Woodblock print
Robyn Buntin of Honolulu
Woodblock print
ArtOfJapan
Woodblock print
Folder and Info
Woodblock print
An00447439 001 L
Woodblock print
Flying over Forest
Woodblock print
Huam Carp07164
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.