Poem 69-17

Artist/Culture Maki Haku (Japanese, 1924–2000)

Date1969

Mediumwood and cement block relief print on paper

Dimensions52.7 x 40.3 cm (20 3/4 x 15 7/8 in.)

ClassificationsPrints

Credit LineGift of Drs. Ann and Robert Walzer

Terms

Object number2005.209

Label TextThe seal-script character featured and playfully abstracted by Maki in this print means “grandchild” (mago ?). Its repetition in six lively variations suggests many “grandchildren.” The surface of this print has a unique luster and velvety quality. Once the paper had been embossed and its layers laminated, Maki applied black poster color with a brush to the entire surface with the exception of the margins. He then laid a stencil over the edges and select parts of the blackened print, and used a baren (pressing pad with bamboo sheathing) to roll on a film of cobalt blue oil paint (diluted with turpentine), onto the exposed, raised parts of the embossed paper. Like his inspirational teacher, the artist-poet Onchi Koshiro (1891-1955), Maki often used the word “poem” in his titles. The hand-applied “color splashes,” red in the shape of a moon and yellow in the shape of a tear, also help suggest a poetic dimension.ProvenanceDr. Robert and Ann Walzer, West Redding, CT

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