Aurola by Eiko Kawakubo

This is a dramatic etching and aquatint by artist Eiko Kawakubo titled "Aureola". It was created in 1969. The literal translation of the title is 'colored ring'. It is most commonly used in human anatomy to describe a colored circle of a different color than surrounding skin. Aureola is a medical term for the nipple of the breast. This image is a colored circle, however it has no obvious relationship to human anatomy. It projects more of an astronomical presence like a sun or moon. Rays are present within the circle, as are some irregular outlines of what appear to be surface structures of some kind. There is a corona of sorts around the golden circle. A mesh is present right at the border suggesting that a soft ground was used with the mesh being pressed into the ground to provide more detail and texture. It's a stunning image and reflects a very knowledgeable artist very familiar with different etching techniques. Not much is known about the artist, other than he is Japanese (his pencil signature lower right is in both English cursive and Japanese characters). There is one reference to him having spent time in Mexico which is intriguing as, if this is the case, the influence of Mayan art could be inferred. Several of the artist's etchings have come to market. All are done in a modern abstract style and show similarities to this work.
The artwork itself is in very good condition. It is framed and has not been examined out of the frame but it is not matted so the entire sheet can be seen. It is a crisp impression with vivid colors and no fading. It is signed in pencil lower right, the title is given lower center and the edition 25/25 and date 1969 is given lower left. The plate mark is 9 5/8 x 8 5/8 inches. The sheet is 15 x 12 inches and the frame is 16 x 14 inches. The paper shows slight toning. The backing is not archival. Otherwise, there are no condition issues including no paper loss, tears, staining, or foxing. A very dramatic modern work.