Nishijima Katsuyuki – Retreating Sun (Nishijima Katsuyuki – Nokoribi)

Original woodblock print, hand-signed by the artist. First published in 1976.

In this print, Nishijima Katsuyuki depicts the sun setting and coloring the sky over traditional Japanese rooftops. The endlessness of nature is a common theme in Japanese woodblock printing, and the many depictions of sunsets by Nishijima Katsuyuki are one of the ways this theme is reflected in his work.

Image size (excluding margins): 19.7 * 27.3 cm (7.8 * 10.7 in).

The print is in excellent condition.

The pictures shown here are from the print itself.

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Nishijima Katsuyuki b. 1945) is a prolific and popular Japanese woodblock artist. He has been perfecting his art since half a century, working in the Sosaku Hanga (creative prints) style, and thus carving and printing all by himself.

He has developed a completely unique style, making his prints recognizable from across the room. Common themes are country side landscapes and city scenes. Here, the scenes do not show people or modern tools, creating a timeless beauty, where, to an extent, it is possible to imagine oneself being in the present or a century earlier just as easily.

Nishijima Katsuyuki signs his prints, but many of the designs are unnumbered. With many designs and possibly recurring editions for his unnumbered prints, it seems that it was possible for him to keep them relatively affordable.

See an overview of Nishijima Katsuyuki's woodblock prints