Kaoru Saito - カトレアと蝶 (Cattleya and Butterflies)

Name: Kaoru Saito - カトレアと蝶 (Cattleya and Butterflies)
Brand: Kumo Arts
Price: 280.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

£280.00

Modern | Sōsaku Hanga Mezzotint

Kaoru Saito’s 1996 mezzotint “カトレアと蝶” (Cattleya and Butterflies) unfolds a dreamlike tableau of fuchsia Cattleya orchids rising from velvety foliage as three delicate butterflies dance above. Saito’s soft tonal gradations and subtle colour accents bring each petal and wing to luminous life, evoking the fleeting grace of nature in a moment of serene beauty. 🦋🌸.

Year & Edition: 1996 · Ed. of 70 (28/70) (signed & editioned in pencil to plate; titled & dated in pencil to margin).
Medium: Mezzotint.
Dimensions: Sheet H: 50.00 cm × W: 37.00 cm; Image H: 36.50 cm × W: 24.00 cm.
Condition: Beautiful. Image face unblemeshed, lovely subtle deep colour. Paper clean & crisp. Small surface handling upper left margin edge. Tape abrasion verso.
Notes: The graceful Cattleya orchid, prized for its ruffled blooms, is here animated by fluttering butterflies - symbols of transformation and ephemeral beauty.

About the Artist

Kaoru Saito (1931-2021) was a master of Japanese mezzotint, celebrated for his graceful bijin-e portraits and poetic scenes from The Tale of Genji. His prints conjure a quiet, surreal world of stillness and introspection - marked by deep blacks, soft gradations, and a finely balanced sense of emotion. Trained under Fujita Tsuguharu, Tsuruta Goro, and Arai Tatsuo, Saito became a leading figure in postwar printmaking and a key member of the Shunyo-kai Art Society. [ ← View All Works by Kaoru Saito]