Beauty-flowers Bookmark

Beauty-flowers, from Humorous Designs, 1903, by Kamisaka Sekka (Japanese, 1866–1942)

A time of dramatic cultural change, Japan’s Meiji era saw all aspects of society embrace modernization. Kamisaka Sekka flourished during this vibrant period. Deeply rooted in tradition—he led the revival of seventeenth-century Rinpa—he also was a progenitor of modern design in Japan. Sekka produced several suites of prints that were published as multivolume books, transforming his paintings into woodcuts for reproduction. The resultant dramatic, powerful graphics are imbued with his signature elegant and delicate touch and reflect the artist’s melding of Western and Japanese design influences. The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in Hanford, California, holds a magnificent collection of Kamisaka Sekka’s works.