White Horse Looking Upward by Urushibara Mokuchu

This is a woodblock print by noted Japanese artist Urushibara Mokuchu (also known as Yoshijirô Urushibara). It features one of the most famous artistic subjects of the artist, a white horse. He did several versions of white horses always in a very spare painterly style. It shows his mastery of woodblock printing in that the tail and mane are blurred to demonstrate motion but also to imitate brushwork. The horse is on a grey background. While it appears the image is rendered in black and white, Urushibara puts highlights of silver to enhance the depth of the image. His red chop is present upper right and the piece is signed in pencil Y. Urushibara lower left. The piece is framed and matted and has not been examined out of the frame. The piece looks to be in excellent condition. There are no tears or paper loss, stains or foxing. The image is crisp without evidence of fading. The horse is about 8 x 11 1/2 inches. The visible sheet is 9 x 13 3/4 inches. The frame is 14 x 18 3/4 inches. The framing materials are not archival. In fact, the frame is vintage in that the backing is a wood panel. The original label MInato Trading Co. Picture & Picture Frame is still present. This company was active from 1950-1970. A very representative work by this artist.

Mokuchu Urushibara (1888 - 1953) Urushibara (given name Yoshijirô) was a Japanese woodblock artist. He grew up in Tokyo and began making woodblock prints at an early age. He may have been taught by his grandfather who was a noted calligrapher and woodblock print artist. He produced many prints of familiar subjects such as flowers, landscapes, and notably white horses. However, he may be best remembered for his influence on western printmakers. Urushibara travelled to London to demonstrate Japanese printmaking at the Anglo-Japanese Exhibition of 1910. However, rather than returning to Japan, he stayed in England He consulted with the British Museum where he restored prints, helped to mount Japanese and Chinese scrolls, and, in at least one instance, copied a famous Chinese scroll. His time in England impacted his subject matter and approach to print making incorporating more Western compositional ideas and some impressionistic elements in his work. He also worked with other Japanese artists living in England including Yoshio Markino and Ryuson Chuso Matsuyama. This led to a synthesis of Japanese and Western artistic ideas that he then conveyed to Western artists he encountered. The timing was propitious in that Urushihara aligned himself with the sōsaku hanga (Creative Print) movement, which broke from the traditional Japanese printmaking approach. Sōsaku hanga held that the artist should have creative control through the entire process through jiga (self-drawn), jijoku (self-carved), and jizuri (self-printed) principles. This was consistent with the contemporaneous artistic approach of the Arts and Crafts movement that also advocated the unity of design and craftsmanship under the control of the artist. Notably, he collaborated with the Welsh artist and printmaker Frank Brangwyn. He taught Japanese woodblock printing techniques to English art students giving demonstrations at the Art Workers' Guild and the Leicester School of Art. His techniques are mentioned in a famous printmaking technique book of the time by Walter J. Phillips. Phillips may have studied with him as well. He took up the 'art name' of Mokuchu (木虫) and used that to sign some of his work. He was forced to return to Japan with the outbreak of World War 2 but stayed in touch with his European colleagues until his death. While in England he exhibited extensively. His first documented exhibit was in 1919 at the International Society at the Grosvenor Gallery, London. He had pieces at the Royal Academy of Arts summer exhibitions and from 1922 until he returned to Japan, he exhibited annually with the Society of Graver-Printers in Colour. He had at least one exhibit in the United States after the war. His work is held by the British Museum.