The Washington times., 1905-10-29
WORK OF JAPANESE
ARTISTS AT COSMOS
Wonderful Exhibition of Colored Wood Cuts Loaned by
Charles Hovey Pepper and DR. Swan Nj Burnett In
cludes Great Masters of the Art

Beginning with Tuesday of the week
just past. there has been at the Cosmos
Club an exhibition of the japanese art
of nishilxi-ye, which means IN English.
colored wood cuts.
The exhibition Is loan from the
collection OF Charles Hovey Pepper,
of Concord. Mass. and DR.. Swan NJ
Burnett. of Washington. and presents
examples of the work of a large number
Of the great niShiki-ye makers A cata-
logue. containing an Introduction de-
scribiDS the cutting of the blocks and
the method OF printing. giving the dates
of the artists and usually a little addi-
tional information concerning them. and
in most instances furnishing some notes
on the prints. has been prepared, the
greater part OF which. including the in
PRODUCTION. is by Mr. Pepper.
The process can be briefly described
in Nj. Peppers own words:
The artist. on thin paper, makes his
drawing. This is then pasted face down
on a polished block OF cherry, pear or
apple wood. the side. not the end of
the block. being used. The engraver,
second man, cuts with sharp knife
on each side of the lines, and with a
chisei gouges out all intervening wood.
The block is washed and Impressions
drawn showing the outline. These are
sent 70 the artist He plans his color
scheme. Taking one outline print he
fills in his green, for instance; another,
he fills In his reds; another. he nils in
his grays.
One Block for Each Color.
These are each pasted face down
on blocks and series OF color blocks
are produced. one block for each color.
The printer. u third man, prepares his
cups of color, sits on the floor with a
block before hirn-say the block for the
green Near is his pile of paper for
the edition. slightly dampened, as in
printing etehings. He lays mis- color
on the block with coarse brush He
places sheet of paper on the block;
corner fits into a notch cut in the
lower right hand corner of the block.
A side falls on a lire cut on the lower
edge of the block This simple means
of registering is sufficient TO print even
ten or fifteen colors with remarkable
precision.
"A flexible bamboo rocker covered
with a bamboo shuck is then rubbed
over the back of the paper. and the i'm
preston is drawn. This process is re-
peated Until the edition is printed in
green. Then another color block is
taken. and color added TO color. and at
last the outline is printed from the key
block"
One of Harunobu's key blocks is
shown in the exhibition.
Early Engravers.
The xylographic art of Japan was Of
later Development han that of
Europe Durer, the first great European
wood engraver. vas born in 1471 and
died in 152S. Moronobu, the first great
japanese engraver on wood, was BORN
in 1893 and died in I7l4. Durer is thus
shown to be more than a century ear
lier than Moronobu.
The first japanese woodcuts were on
ly in black and white, but were fire.
quently colored by hand Two-coior
prints We're invented by Shigenaga, be-
tween 1876 and 1910. A greater number
of coiors were first used by Harunobu
between 1854 and 1771. The art of nishi-
ki-ye fiourished from the time of Moro
nobu, in 1855 until the death of Hokr-
sal, in 1919. Since then Japan has not
furnished another truly great nishiki-ye
artist, possibly excepting Kuniyoshi.
some of whose work is charming.
Artists Represented.
The collection at the Cosmos Club does
not contain any of Moronobu's work.
but IT does contain two large panel prints
of Masanobu O6S8-176D, Moronobus i'm
mediate successor. The principal other
artists represented are Kiyomitsu d735-
1850, Harunobu QT1S-177O). Koriusai
Q76O- I7SO). Shunsho 1726-l790) Buncho
(died 1880, Shuncho (worked 17S9-1S00).
Outamaro Q75S-1S05). Yeishi (worked 1880
1868, Kiyonaga Q747-1s10. Toyokuni Q769-
1920, Yeizan Q775-1s30). Hiroshige Q797-
1889, Hokusai Q76O-1sis). and Kuniyoshi
Q797-1S61.)
Mr. Pepper has in the exhibition four
prints by himself, done according TO the
japanese method of cutting and print
ing.
By comparing the dates after the ar