Haku Maki - Wan_32

Modern | Sōsaku Hanga Woodblock Print

A fabulous embossed print by Haku Maki: Wan_32. This work features a bold black tea bowl (wan) emerging with remarkable weight and texture through Maki’s signature deep embossing, set against a paper white background. Above, the luminous gold kanji 夢 (yume, “dream”) adds both visual brilliance and symbolic depth, uniting the quiet strength of the vessel with the spiritual resonance of calligraphy.  ✨🍵

• Year & Edition: c.late 1990s · Edition 82/151. Titled, edition & signed in pencil “H. Maki”.
  
• Medium: Embossed Woodblock.
  
• Dimensions: Paper H: 29.00 cm × W: 20.00 cm. Image H: 25.00 cm × W: 16.00 cm.
  
• Condition: Beautiful. Clean. Strong embossing, deep black tone, and brilliant gold.
• Notes: Wan Series: Produced in the 1990s, these works belong to Maki’s late ceramic-themed explorations alongside Hanto. Created typically as a collage as his health declined, the Wan prints are characterised by their striking vessel imagery and tactile depth, reflecting Maki’s lifelong fascination with pottery. Issued in parallel with the Z-series (fruit and vegetable collages) and his second Months series of 1998, the Wan works mark a distinctive and contemplative later chapter in his life.

About the Artist

Haku Maki (1924-2000) was an influential Japanese printmaker known for merging traditional kanji and ancient Chinese seal scripts with abstract, modern compositions. A self-taught artist and wartime survivor, Maki gained international acclaim through innovative cement-relief embossing techniques and vibrant colours. His distinctive works - including series like Poem, Persimmons, and Festive Wine - are celebrated globally, combining deep cultural resonance with contemporary abstract aesthetics. [ ← View All Works by Haku Maki]