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Hajime Namiki
'Garyu no sakura' (The Lying Dragon Cherry Tree, Gifu) — Contemporary Japanese

2003

About the Item

Hajime Namiki, 'Garyu no sakura (The Lying Dragon Cherry Tree, Gifu)', color woodcut, 2003, edition 200. Signed in pencil and with the artist’s red seal. Numbered '110/200' and titled in Japanese, in pencil. A very fine impression with strong, fresh colors, on heavy, white wove paper; the full sheet with margins (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches), in excellent condition. Image size 16 X 31 inches (406 X 787 mm); sheet size 19 1/4 x 34 inches (489 x 864 mm). Archivally sleeved, unmatted. In this work, Namiki employs an especially beautiful and unusual use of color; the very delicate white and pinks of the cherry blossoms contrast dramatically with the rich grays of the gnarled tree trunk and the orange-brown earth. The sky, printed in a reflective silver that graduates to a warm, pale bronze toward the ground, changes with the ambient light and the viewer‘s position, rendering a dramatic representation of the qualities of a living tree in nature. A depiction of the famous cherry tree of Gifu prefecture, which has been designated a Japanese natural monument. Named 'Garyu no sakura', 'The Lying Dragon Cherry Tree' because its shape resembles a lying dragon. The beloved tree is said to be more than 1100 years old and measures 15 meters high, with a trunk of 7.3 meters around. ABOUT THE ARTIST Contemporary master printmaker Hajime Namiki was born in 1947 in Tokyo. Originally trained as a sculptor, he began creating woodblock prints in 1978. He carves his own blocks and prints each work himself using traditional methods. His beautiful prints are often printed on a gold or silver leaf laid over Torinoko paper. Namiki uses oil-based paints rather than the more typical water-based colors, affording his works an uncommon richness and depth. Namiki finds inspiration in nature, creating luminous, contemplative works that demonstrate a true reverence for the natural world around him. Long fascinated by the delicacy and majesty of trees, he has masterfully captured their subtle beauty in his unique modern style. Namiki has exhibited his woodblocks widely throughout Japan and internationally. He has shown regularly at the annual College Women's Association of Japan Print Show in Tokyo, an international showcase for Japanese contemporary prints. His works are included in the collections of the White House, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the New Orleans Museum of Art.
  • Creator:
    Hajime Namiki (1947, Japanese)
  • Creation Year:
    2003
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 31 in (78.74 cm)Width: 16 in (40.64 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Myrtle Beach, SC
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 980921stDibs: LU532310538472
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This time his work was featured in a one-man show and then as one of MoMA’s two-year traveling exhibitions which toured throughout the United States. In subsequent years, Summers’ works would be exhibited and acquired for the permanent collections of multiple museums throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. Summers’ familiarity with landscapes throughout the world is firsthand. As a navigator-bombardier in the Marines in World War II, he toured the South Pacific and Asia. Following college, travel in Europe and subsequent teaching positions, in 1972, after 47 years on the East Coast, Carol Summers moved permanently to Bonny Doon in the Santa Cruz Mountains in Northern California. There met his second wife, Joan Ward Toth, a textile artist who died in 1998; and it was here his second son, Ethan was born. 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