Crows, Cranes & Camellias - 9789004181069

Little is known about the artist Ohara Koson (1877-1945), whose career bridged the era between the decline of the full-coloured woodblock print (nishiki-e) in the late 19th century/early 20th century and the emergence of the Shin hanga (`new print') movement in the 1910s. An artist principally marketed abroad, Koson's bird-and-flower prints met with great success in the United States and Europe. He has only recently received attention in his native Japan following the discovery of important reference material including original sketches and paintings for his prints.

Crows, Cranes and Camellias: the Natural World of Ohara Koson 1877-1945 is the first publication in a Western language to discuss his corpus of work, and it has drawn upon the private Jan Perrde collection (now housed in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) for inspiration. First published In 2001, this new edition features an additional chapter on Koson's oeuvre and designs which have been discovered since the original publication of Crows, Cranes and Camellias. Including an overview of Koson's life and artistic career, augmented by a checklist of the majority of his work, select seals and signatures, this book is a valuable source for Koson collectors.