KEISAI EISEN
Japanese draftsman, writer and
printmaker Keisai Eisen took his
name from the masters Kano
Hakkeisai and Kikugawa Eizan.
Respected for his sumptuous
images of geisha and editions of
erotic prints, he also co-edited
and expanded the Ukiyo-e Ruiko
(History of Prints of the Floating
World), an 18th-19th century
document on the lives of the
ukiyo-e artists.Relief printing This is a wood-
block print made by a relief
process. Images are drawn onto
smooth, flat sheets of wood,
which are sometimes also cut into
pieces like a jigsaw puzzle. Parts
of the image to be left unprinted
are gouged out with a metal tool.
Remaining raised areas of wood
are rolled with colored inks. The
inked block is laid face-down on
damp paper and pressed to make
the print. This complex image
may have been made with
numerous blocks prepared and
printed separately, one over the
other, each delivering a different
part and color of the design.The Courtesan Koimurasaki
of Tama-ya
1810-50
15 x 101 / 4 in (381 x 260 mm)
KEISAI EISENJOHN FLAXMAN
English late 18th-century
neoclassical sculptor;
designer, draftsman, and
teacher Distinctive linear
illustrations for the works
of Homer, Dante, and
Aeschylus earned Flaxman
an international reputation.
Position In this pen and ink drawing,
the angle of the head, the cloak
sliding to the ground, and the feet
notched against the pillar tell us that
this sleeper's position is momentary.
A stone wall of downward-stroked
lines holds him into the cleft.Man Lying Down in a Cloak
I 787-94
21 / 4 x 41 / 8 in (57 x 105 mm)
JOHN FLAXMAN