Purity

Catalog note / 解説

The page format, use of mechanical type, and paper quality of this print all suggest that it was originally a book illustration. Such illustrations are unusual for Shinsui, who is better known for the single sheet prints he produced as one of the leading artists of the New Print (Shin-hanga) Movement. Compared to his single sheet prints, this print is more cursorily accomplished, with a sketchy quality resembling some kuchi-e. While it does not rival the sumptuousness and technical skill of Young Girl and Full Moon immediately beside it, this print nonetheless provides an important link between Shinsui and his immediate predecessors, for whom book/magazine illustration was a primary source…