Sadao Watanabe (Japanese, 1913-1996), Noah's Ark

Woodblock print, 1975, pencil signed, dated, and inscribed "Artist Proof" to lower edge, aside from an edition of 77, unframed.

33 5/8 x 24 5/8 in.

From the Collection of Duke Hospital, Sold to Benefit Duke Arts and Health

Sadao Watanabe was born in Tokyo in 1913, was baptized as a Christian in 1930, and throughout his career, based his designs exclusively on biblical subjects. That said, the Christian stories and figures of his works are interpreted via traditional Japanese techniques. Watanabe took part in the folk-art movement in Japan which began in the 1930s as an attempt to preserve various traditional arts, among them stencil printing, which Watanabe appreciated. Watanabe and Yoshitoshi Mori were the best-known 'sosaku hanga' artists who used the medium called kappazuri (stencil printing), a technique related to 'katazome' (stencil dyeing) which originated in Okinawa (the technique there was called 'bingata').

The bold expressive style and religious iconography are characteristic of artist Sadao Watanabe, a Japanese Christian artist whose biblical prints were delineated in the Japanese mingei (folk art) tradition and whose works have been exhibited in major museums throughout the world, including the Vatican and the Louvre.

Hinge mounted to a backing; slight toning to verso sheet and wear at the edges.