Christ
1956-1958
24 x 10 7/8 in. (61 x 27.7 cm)
Munakata Shiko
Japan
(1903 - 1975)
Object Type:
Print
Medium and Support:
Woodcut
Credit Line:
Gift of Zanetta Schutt Parks and the Naramore family
Accession Number:
1996.101
Location: Not currently on view
Munakata Shiko was a dominant figure in Japanese printmaking, especially after the close of World War II. He rose to international fame in 1951, when he exhibited in São Paolo; in 1956, he won the first prize for printmaking at the Venice Biennale. The myriad influences on his work include his early studies of modern Western artists, particularly Henri Matisse; a strong interest in Zen Buddhism; and the Japanese creative print and folk art movements.
Munakata designed Christ as one of 12 prints created for the Urasenke school of tea ceremony. In this tradition, a single hanging scroll, usually a seasonal Zen Buddhist calligraphy or ink painting of a contemplative scene, was displayed in a tea room alcove. Although Munakata was certainly aware of this custom, he chose to incorporate Western images, including this one, into his work.
[Label text, 2014]
Munakata Shiko was a dominant figure in Japanese printmaking, especially after the close of World War II. He rose to international fame in 1951, when he exhibited in São Paolo; in 1956, he won the first prize for printmaking at the Venice Biennale. The myriad influences on his work include his early studies of modern Western artists, particularly Henri Matisse; a strong interest in Zen Buddhism; and the Japanese creative print and folk art movements.
Munakata designed Christ as one of 12 prints created for the Urasenke school of tea ceremony. In this tradition, a single hanging scroll, usually a seasonal Zen Buddhist calligraphy or ink painting of a contemplative scene, was displayed in a tea room alcove. Although Munakata was certainly aware of this custom, he chose to incorporate Western images, including this one, into his work.
[Label text, 2014]