Man in Armor (Yoroi hito)

Object Details

• Artist

  Hideo Hagiwara 萩原英雄 (1913-2007)

• Edition/State

  9/30

• Label

  Recognizing the nuances made possible by controlling the absorption of ink on thick Japanese paper, Hagiwara developed innovative methods of woodblock printing. For this abstract image, he created the light-gray textured ground by printing the back of the paper with an opaque dark gray pigment; the color has bled through the paper in patterns that reflect the circular movements of the rubbing tool known as the baren. Metal coils, which were substituted for the supple, plaited bamboo usually used in fabricating the baren, intensified the marks of pressure on the paper. The red color is printed on the face of the paper.

  Hagiwara's expansion of the limits of woodblock printing through technical innovation was inspired by his admiration for the achievements of potters of the Jomon culture in Japan (10,000-ca. 300 B.C.E.) studying the complex designs produced by the ancient artisans, Hagiwara sought to understand their mastery of material and technique.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Paper and Clay from Modern Japan (January 20 to March 31, 1991)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Margot Paul Ernst in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Norman S. Paul

• Type

  Print

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1960s

• Name

  Hideo, Hagiwara

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Art, Showa era (1926 - 1989), Japanese Art

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Prints