Product Description
7697 Toshisada Wakao (b. 1933)
A four-fold paper screen painted in ink and gold with cresting waves under the Moon
Signed and sealed Toshisada
Japan 20th/21st century
Dimensions: H. 139cm x W. 267cm (54¾” x 105¼”)
Toshitada Wakao was born in Mino, Gifu prefecture, the son of a family of potters. He is a well-known ceramicist of traditional Shino ware which was first developed in his home town of Mino during the Momoyama period (1568-1603). Mino ware has been sought after by tea masters ever since. His modern interpretation of traditional pottery and the delicate Rimpa-style painting on his Shino ware are highly regarded, and the quality of his brushwork is apparent in this rare painting by the artist.
His excellent use of the tarashikomi (dripping ink) or bokashi (wet in wet) technique, whereby ink is applied with a wet brush and another layer is added before the first has dried, creates a soft and magical effect. Apart from the golden moon, the waves, sky and clouds are all rendered simply in ink with different techniques and nuances, showing a dynamic view of the everchanging moon-lit seascape.
Wakao has held a number of solo and group exhibitions in Japan and internationally and was designated as an intangible cultural asset of Tajima city in 1995 and of Gifu prefecture in 2003.
Ceramic works by the artist can be found in the collections of various museums including: The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.; East Asian Museum, Stockholm.
