Yanagawa's Picture Book- Volume of Animals (vol. 1) c. 1856

Yanagawa Shigenobu produced this woodblock printed book in Japan in the early 19th century. Here we see paper, pigment, and the crucial element of the woodblock. The character of this work comes from the processes used to make it. Woodblock printing demands careful carving, inking, and registration of color. See how the delicate lines define the animals, foliage, and background with great precision, but also, how the colors are subtly misaligned. The softness of the impression is a direct result of the artist's engagement with the grain of the wood. The act of carving transforms the character of the wood, while the application of ink and pressure reveals its texture, turning it into something quite other than mere paper. By attending to the materials and processes, we see that this unassuming little volume is in fact an object of great sophistication. It collapses any assumed divide between high art and craft, revealing their shared history.