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| Artist: | Capelari Fritz |
| Title: | RETURNING HOME |
| Series: | |
| Date of first edition?: | 1915 |
| Publisher (first edition)?: | Watanabe Shozaburo — 渡辺 |
| Publisher (this edition)?: | Watanabe Shozaburo — 渡辺 |
| Medium (first edition): | Woodblock |
| Medium (this edition): | Woodblock |
| Format (first edition): | Chuban
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| Format (this edition): | Chuban |
| DB artwork code: | 33339 |
| Notes (first edition)?: |
This is a superb Original Japanese woodblock print entitled “RETURNING HOME” dating back to 1915. It was made by Fritz Capelari, who was the first Western artist to design prints for the Shin Hanga publisher Watanabe Shozaburo. The depiction shows a large group of colorfully dressed women walking home in the rain. All of them are carrying large traditional umbrellas, which are partly blocking our view. These beautifully ornamented umbrellas are of course the image’s main motive, but linking them to a Tokyo street scene is what truly brings out their elegance and diversity. The colors are still amazingly fresh and reveal the intensity of Fritz Capelari’s art!
SPECIFICATIONS:
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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Japan.
DATE: Dated 1915.
ARTIST: Fritz Capelari (1884 - 1950).
PUBLISHERS: Watanabe Shozaburo.
MATERIAL: Paper.
MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUE: Color woodblock print.
MARKS: Artist seal mark “FC”. Origin and dating “Tokyo 1915”.
SIZE: 11 x 8.5 inches. |
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| Notes (this edition)?: |
| The following information was taken from the original web listing of this artwork. Note that there may be some inaccuracies:
This is a superb Original Japanese woodblock print entitled “RETURNING HOME” dating back to 1915. It was made by Fritz Capelari, who was the first Western artist to design prints for the Shin Hanga publisher Watanabe Shozaburo. The depiction shows a large group of colorfully dressed women walking home in the rain. All of them are carrying large traditional umbrellas, which are partly blocking our view. These beautifully ornamented umbrellas are of course the image’s main motive, but linking them to a Tokyo street scene is what truly brings out their elegance and diversity. The colors are still amazingly fresh and reveal the intensity of Fritz Capelari’s art!
SPECIFICATIONS:
_______________
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Japan.
DATE: Dated 1915.
ARTIST: Fritz Capelari (1884 - 1950).
PUBLISHERS: Watanabe Shozaburo.
MATERIAL: Paper.
MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUE: Color woodblock print.
MARKS: Artist seal mark “FC”. Origin and dating “Tokyo 1915”.
CONDITION: Excellent ORIGINAL as found condition with only minor traces of age. Two tiny, almost invisible holes. One very small hole to each corner. NO RESTORATION. Please wait for all pictures to load, as they illustrate the condition very accurately.
SIZE: 11 x 8.5 inches. (asia 98) |
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| Artist Bio: |
The Shin Hanga movement flourished from around 1915 to 1942. Watanabe and other Shin Hanga publishers produced the works of both native Japanese artists and Western artists who created images in the Japanese manner.
Friedrich Capelari was born in Austria in 1884 and attended trade school where he discovered his talent for art. He stayed in school an additional year to study graphics and went on to the Academy of Painting in Vienna in 1906. In 1911, Capelari departed for Shanghai and for the next four years he travelled and painted in China, Java, and Japan. While living in Tokyo, his path would cross that of the publisher Watanabe Shozaburo.
In 1915, Watanabe was looking for new artists to revitalize the art of woodblock prints. He wanted to work with an artist who could paint Japanese scenes in a realistic Western style. Watanabe was impressed by Capelari’s watercolour paintings. Capelari on the other hand was fascinated with the carving and printing aspects of Watanabe's work because of his background in wood carving and graphics. Their collaboration was very successful as they produced fabulous prints with an abstract modern quality, despite the traditional subject matter.
Capelari left Japan in 1922, travelling around Europe for 10 years. He returned to Asia in 1932, but did not design any other woodblock prints. During the latter part of his life, he settled in Austria and joined the Carinthia Art Society. Many of his paintings and wood sculptures were clearly influenced by Asian art. Capelari's contribution to the Shin Hanga movement was undeniably important, paving the way for both Japanese and Western print designers.
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