Winter Pond
Naoko Matsubara
Description
Matsubara Naoko
Japanese, born 1937
Winter Pond
Showa period (1926–89)
1971
Woodblock print on paper
Gift of Marilyn Symmes in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Sawyer, 1990/2.62
An internationally known female printmaker from Japan, Matsubara Naoko’s geometric and abstract imagery is inspired by the landscapes and natural scenery of places she has visited in Japan, North America, and Europe. Trees are an important motif in her work. As a child growing up in post-World War II Japan, Matsubara spent a great deal of time at Kenkun Shrine in Kyoto, where her father worked. That shrine, and in particular the ancient trees surrounding it, provided a sanctuary and refuge for Matsubara and many other people affected by the war.
This print is from a portfolio entitled Solitude that is based on Henry Thoreau’s Walden (1854). Matsubara strove to capture a sense of the peace and calm of nature in this series, and it is considered one of her most profound. The way she carefully enhances and draws out the grain of the birch block evokes the sense of a light breeze sending ripples across the pond.
Subject Matter:
An internationally known female printmaker from Japan, Matsubara Naoko’s geometric and abstract imagery is inspired by the landscapes and natural scenery of places
she has visited in Japan, North America, and Europe. Trees are an important motif in her work.
This print is from a portfolio entitled Solitude that is based on Henry Thoreau’s Walden (1854). Matsubara strove to capture a sense of the peace and calm of nature in this series, and it is considered one of her most profound. The way she carefully enhances and draws out the grain of the birch block evokes the sense of a light breeze sending ripples across the pond.
Physical Description:
The whole print has a rather greenish hue and is broken up horizontally just below the center of the print by a row of black objects, which are likely trees. Just below this space are what appear to be waves on the surface of the pond made by white curves lines.
Usage Rights:
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