Tanaka Ryohei

Tanaka Ryohei (1933–2019) was a Japanese printmaker who masterfully employed the Western intaglio technique of etching (Japanese: doban). His predominantly monochromatic prints depict Japan’s traditional thatched-roof farmhouses, temples, and landscapes with poetic beauty and a gentle melancholy. The textures of thatch, wood, stone, and other natural materials are rendered with remarkable precision and perfection.

Tanaka’s career spanned over fifty years, during which he created more than 770 unique etchings. The total number of prints exceeds 100,000, all of which he personally published. This remarkable output makes him one of the most prolific artists of his generation.

In the context of Japanese printmaking, where colorful woodblock prints traditionally dominate, Tanaka’s etchings hold a unique position. Like the artists of the “creative” sōsaku-hanga movement, who emphasized the individual artistic vision of the artist, Tanaka took on every step of the printmaking process, from designing and preparing the copper plate to printing the final work. Thematically, however, his works are closer to the nostalgic and romantic woodblock prints of the shin-hanga artists, yet they demand close observation and a meditative engagement with the image.

Line to Landscape is the first exhibition in Germany dedicated to Tanaka Ryōhei’s oeuvre, featuring 170 works. Fourteen precious etchings have been donated to the
Museum of East Asian Art by Tanaka Takiko, the wife of the printmaker, who passed away five years ago.

Mit freundlicher Unterstützung