Reader Collection > Exhibitions > Imaginative Modern Japanese Bird Prints

Introduction

Birds have appeared in the printed art of Japan for more than three-hundred years. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries birds were used primarily as symbols of human traits and seasons of the year. Each species had its own symbolic association so artists drew birds with sufficient accuracy to allow viewers to identify the particular species depicted and thereby recognize the artist’s intended message.  In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries birds were used much less often as symbols. Artists drew birds in a more imaginative way because it was less necessary that viewers recognized the species depicted. In addition, the modern philosophy of art encourages artists to use their imagination and express themselves in a novel, creative way.  Seventy examples of imaginative modern Japanese bird prints are included in this virtual exhibition. They are part of the Reader Collection of Japanese Art which includes more than one thousand Japanese bird prints published between 1950 and the present day.

The prints included in this exhibition were chosen to illustrate the following seven ways of drawing birds in an imaginative way:     

1   False color - The artist intentionally changes the bird’s actual colors. Four examples are included here:  domestic fowl (prints 1-2), cranes (prints 3-4), owls (prints 5-6) and pigeons (prints 7-8).

2   False color and distorted shape – The artist intentionally changes both the bird’s color and shape such that neither matches any real bird species. Six examples are included here (prints 9-14).

3   Texture - The artist adds texture to the picture in one of four ways; namely, embossing the bird’s surface features (prints 15-16),  chequering the bird’s surface features (prints 17-18), adding a patterned picture background (prints 19-20) or using multiple birds to create a pattern (prints 21-24).

4   Unexpected view - Instead of presenting the viewer with the typical side view or front view of a bird, the artist provides one of the following four unexpected views: back (prints 25-26), top (prints 27-28), stacked (prints 29-30) or multiple (prints 31-34).

5   Unfamiliar objects - The artist adds imaginary objects to the picture (prints 35-40).

6   Unexpected familiar objects - The artist adds a familiar object not normally associated with birds to the picture; for example, a ball (prints 41-42), books (prints 43-44), a plant (prints 45-48), an animal (prints 49-50), humans (prints 51-62) or a landscape (prints 63-64).

7   Humorous text - The artist adds a humorous title or poem to the picture (prints 65-70). 

In the exhibition below the following information is given for each print: primary imaginative feature, bird’s name (if real), artist’s name, printing method and print size.

1   False color – domestic fowl (Gallus gallus) by Masahiko Saga, digital print, 300 x 420 mm

2   False color – domestic fowl (Gallus gallus) by Masao Ohba, screenprint, 195 x 265 mm

3   False color – crane (Grus sp.) by Tadashi Nakayama, woodblock print, 320 x 820 mm

4   False color – crane (Grus sp.) by Shin’ichi Yoshizu, screenprint, 440 x 330 mm

5   False color – scops owl (Otus sp.) by Yoshiharu Kimura, woodblock print, 320 x 370 mm

6   False color – scops owl (Otus sp.) by Hiroshi Kabe, screenprint, 155 x 200 mm

7   False color – pigeon (Columba livia) by Shingo Imai, lithograph, 270 x 360 mm

8   False color – pigeon (Columba livia) by Teruo Ōnuma, lithograph, 360 x 420 mm

9   False color and distorted shape – unknown bird by Kunihiro Amano, woodblock print, 170 x 230 mm

10   False color and distorted shape – unknown bird by Ay-ō Iijima, screenprint, 250 x 175 mm

11   False color and distorted shape – unknown bird by Fumio Fujita, woodblock print, 320 x 445 mm

12   False color and distorted shape – unknown bird by Umetarō Azechi, woodblock print, 285 x 385 mm

13   False color and distorted shape – unknown bird by Masanari Murai, lithograph, 570 x 760 mm

14   False color and distorted shape – unknown bird by Takeji Asano, woodblock print, 400 x 295 mm

15   Texture – unknown bird by Haku Maki, woodblock print, 170 x 220 mm

16   Texture – unknown bird by Yutaka Takayanagi, screenprint, 170 x 120 mm

17   Texture – scops owl (Otus sp.) by Masasuke Chiba, screenprint, 300 x 600 mm

18   Texture – unknown bird by Toyohide Akiyama, woodblock print, 240 x 310 mm

19   Texture – duck (Anas sp.) by Susumu Yamaguchi, woodblock print, 585 x 370 mm

20   Texture – common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) by Tadashi Ikai, intaglio print, 440 x 300 mm

21   Texture – crane (Grus sp.) by Fumio Fujita, woodblock print, 190 x 170 mm

22   Texture – penguin (Family Spheniscidae) by Hideshi Yoshida, woodblock print, 150 x 150 mm

23   Texture – swan (Cygnus sp.) by Tōshi Yoshida, woodblock print, 280 x 405 mm

24   Texture – goose (Anser sp.) by Ray Morimura, woodblock print, 135 x 155 mm

25   Unexpected view – peafowl (Pavo sp.) by Shigeru Izumi, lithograph, 300 x 420 mm

26   Unexpected view – peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) by Kōhei Wakatsuki, intaglio print, 395 x 305 mm

27   Unexpected view – long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) by Izumi Fujita, woodblock print, 320 x 400 mm

28   Unexpected view – Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus) by Hidetaka Yamanaka, intaglio print, 255 x 310 mm

29   Unexpected view – unknown bird by Yasuhide Kobashi, woodblock print, 195 x 255 mm

30   Unexpected view – Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) by Motomi Tsunoda, lithograph, 210 x 295 mm

31   Unexpected view – pigeon (Columba livia) by Kōzō Inoue, screenprint, 120 x 170 mm

32   Unexpected view – gray wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) by Akira Fujie, intaglio print, 375 x 265 mm

33   Unexpected view – day-night view of a Ural owl (Strix uralensis) by Shirō Kasamatsu, woodblock print, 285 x 405 mm

34   Unexpected view – four seasons view of a brown-eared bulbul (Ixos amaurotis) by Shirō Kasamatsu, woodblock print, 290 x 410 mm

35   Unfamiliar object – unknown bird by Tamami Shima, woodblock print, 530 x 840 mm

36   Unfamiliar object – crane (Grus sp.) by Yuji Watanabe, woodblock print, 715 x 575 mm

37   Unfamiliar object – owl (Strix sp.) by Fumiaki Fukita, woodblock print, 605 x 470 mm

38   Unfamiliar object – domestic fowl (Gallus gallus) by Yasoji Wakayama, screenprint, 270 x 280 mm

39   Unfamiliar object – unknown birds by Gō Yayanagi, screenprint, 420 x 570 mm

40   Unfamiliar object – short-tailed albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) by Kōsuke Kimura, lithograph, 400 x 440 mm

41   Unexpected familiar object – Japanese robin (Erithacus akahige) by Ushio Takahashi, intaglio print, 355 x 535 mm

42   Unexpected familiar object – great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) by Waichi Hayashi, woodblock print, 265 x 295 mm

43   Unexpected familiar object – scops owl (Otus sp.) by Yoshiharu Kimura, woodblock print, 335 x 375 mm

44   Unexpected familiar object – scops owl (Otus sp.) by Makiko Hattori, intaglio print, 155 x 170 mm

45   Unexpected familiar object – unknown bird by Motoi Ōi, screenprint, 560 x 760 mm

46   Unexpected familiar object – oriental turtle-dove (Streptopelia orientalis) by Hideko Nagahama, intaglio print, 200 x 250 mm

47   Unexpected familiar object – northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) by Mitsuru Nagashima, intaglio print, 340 x 505 mm

48   Unexpected familiar object – large-billed crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) by Naoko Tanikawa, screenprint, 460 x 350 mm

49   Unexpected familiar object – large-billed crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) by Hiroko Ikezumi, woodblock print, 240 x 320 mm

50   Unexpected familiar object – swan (Cygnus sp.) and unknown birds by Fumiko Hori, screenprint, 645 x 375 mm

51   Unexpected familiar object – Daurian redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) by Masumi Ozawa, screenprint, 135 x 165 mm

52   Unexpected familiar object – unknown bird by Masao Yoshida, intaglio print, 615 x 480 mm

53   Unexpected familiar object – unknown birds by Akiko Ohba, woodblock print, 180 x 175 mm

54   Unexpected familiar object – unknown birds by Shiho Murakami, intaglio print, 100 x 150 mm

55   Unexpected familiar object – unknown bird by Kazu Wakita, lithograph, 500 x 405 mm

56   Unexpected familiar object – unknown bird by Koichi Sakamoto, intaglio, 380 x 285 mm

57   Unexpected familiar object – dodo bird (Raphus cucullatus) by Hideshi Yoshida, woodblock print, 150 x 150 mm

58   Unexpected familiar object – pigeon (Columba livia) by Seishi Ozaku, intaglio print, 465 x 320 mm

59   Unexpected familiar object – parrot (Family Psittacidae) by Hideo Yoshihara, intaglio print, 165 x 225 mm

60   Unexpected familiar object – cassowary (Cassuarius sp.) by Tamiji Kitagawa, intaglio print, 250 x 215 mm

61   Unexpected familiar object – woodpecker (Dendrocopos sp.) by Kaoru Kawano, woodblock print, 265 x 405 mm

62   Unexpected familiar object – unknown bird by Umetarō Azechi, woodblock print, 125 x 105 mm

63   Unexpected familiar object – owl (Family Strigidae) and unknown birds by Masaki Shibuya, woodblock print, 160 x 110 mm

64   Unexpected familiar object – greater-spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) by Hirokazu Fukuda, woodblock print, 325 x 250 mm

65   Humorous text – owl (Family Strigidae) by Masaki Shibuya, woodblock print entitled “I came to play”, 110 x 140 mm

66   Humorous text – narcissus flycatcher (Ficedula narcissina) by George Ueda, screenprint entitled “talk about … “, 200 x 135 mm

67   Humorous text – owl (Family Strigidae) by Iwao Akiyama, woodblock print with poem “owl and I, we are not together but both of us cannot sleep”, 360 x 460 mm

68   Humorous text – owl (Family Strigidae) by Iwao Akiyama, woodblock print entitled “holiday for the hunters”, 455 x 305 mm

69   Humorous text – Ural owl (Strix uralensis) by Kiyoharu Yamada, woodblock print with poem “I don't need a posthumous Buddhist name, you can't tell who is who”, 290 x 380 mm

70   Humorous text – scops owl (Otus sp.) by Kan Kozaki, woodblock print with poem “leaves are falling down, I am tipsy and falling apart”, 235 x 320 mm

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