<b>YOSHITOSHI&#39;S GHOST</b>Paul Binnie2004<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

Paul Binnie (born 1967) is a Scottish artist who studied at Edinburgh University and College of Art from 1985 to 1990. Afterward, he lived in Paris until 1993, when he traveled to Tokyo and met the contemporary woodblock printmaker Kenji Seki, from whom he learned much about the techniques of printmaking. Binnie uses 20 or more blocks for some designs, cherry for the keyblock, and magnolia for the color blocks. His pigments also are those used for nihonga (Japanese-style painting) except for bero-ai (Berlin blue or Prussian blue). He prefers torinoko kôzo and nishinouchi washi for his papers. He typically begins printing an edition with about 30 to 40 prints and then finishes the edition on demand. Upon finishing, he destroys the blocks.

Binnie, who has an interest in Ukiyo-e and Shin Hanga, has designed Japanese prints in several genres, blending traditional methods with an individual modern-day style.  

Yoshitoshi’s Ghost represents the artist’s initial foray into designs featuring tattoos. The work showcases a male nude who bares his back to the viewer, revealing an elaborately executed, nearly full body tattoo. The tattoo design appears familiar, as it illustrates Yoshitoshi’s “Moonlight over Mount Yoshino, 1886,” from his series 100 Aspects of the Moon. In Yoshitoshi’s design, the court lady, Iga no Tsubone, chastises the ghost of Kiyotaka for haunting the emperor. However, in Binnie’s print, the tattoo illustrates the ghost holding court lady Iga no Tsubone’s bloody, decapitated head. As the artist stated, “this print plays a sort of joke, as it shows the moment after the Yoshitoshi design, as it might be imagined.”

Binnie’s design contains additional allusions to Yoshitoshi’s work. The goblin-like creature in the yellow cartouche at the top is taken directly from Yoshitoshi’s 36 Ghost “A Heavy Basket” design. The smoke from the incense burner shows the ghostly outline of Yoshitoshi’s Tale of Genji ghost, also taken from his 100 Aspects of the Moon. 

Connoisseur's Note

This impression was printed by the illustrious shin hanga publisher Shozaburo Watanabe. This design is one of a handful of prints produced by Hakuho for this publisher. The print is an early impression, as the careful and subtle printing of the design suggests. This work is in an extraordinary state of preservation, making it a true time capsule. It was never framed or displayed and was stored in archival boxes. Prints in this pristine condition seldom come up for sale. This is an exceedingly rare opportunity to own a stunning Hakuho design with fresh and vivid colors in its original state.