IDO MASAO 4SET

Title "Kiyomizu Temple, etc"  4SET

Edition number:200

Frame size: 16" x 27.1" inches ( ( 40.7x69 cm) )

Paper size: 8.7" x 17.8" inches ( ( 22.2x45.4  cm) ) 

Condition:Slightly scratched and soiled
     　　　　　　 

MASAO IDO(1945-2016) 
The history of woodblock prints dates back to the Heian period. During the Edo period (1603-1867), ukiyoe, a graceful multi-colored woodblock print, took the culture by storm, astonishing the world with the works of genius artists such as Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige, and had a profound impact on the art and culture of Japan.
　The production of woodblock prints is based on the "complete division of labor.
In "traditional woodblock prints," which have been handed down since ancient times, the processes of "underpainting," "engraving," and "printing" are carried out by top-class craftsmen who have mastered the secrets of each process. Only when each of these skilled craftsmen work in unison with the other three can a work of art with a high degree of perfection be created.
　Painter IDO MASAO acts as a painter in the production of woodblock prints. The painter" refers to the artist. He determines all aspects of the work, from composition to depiction and color. The "engraver" carves the woodblocks based on the rough sketch. The "printer" mixes the pigments and repeatedly prints them on the paper. The work is finally completed after a rigorous examination of color and print quality. Although woodblock prints are always tense and time-consuming, they boast a unique artistic quality that cannot be experienced anywhere else.
　Unlike printed matter, woodblock prints are produced in limited quantities and are not available in unlimited supply. This is because the quality of the woodblocks deteriorates with each printing, and the woodblocks are eventually disposed of. IDO was a rare giant who carried on the culture of traditional woodblock prints.
It is with great regret that he passed away.
We hope that you will acquire his works while they are still available, as there will be limited opportunities to distribute his works in the future.
He said of his own work: "I've had people tell me they like the colors of my work indescribably well."
Among them, they say that the green is particularly striking.
One time, a foreigner described it as "IDO GREEN.
The colors I create are intuitive and not something that can be theoretically explained in words, but I am happy to be called this."
He had been fascinated by the beauty of Kyoto and has devoted his life to painting with the desire to "pass on the irreplaceable beauty of Japan and the traditional art of woodblock prints to the next generation.