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I have been thinking about the price of Japanese woodblock prints, which seem to be going up lately, and I am wondering why these seem to be more highly valued at times than paintings? With a painting, there is only one, but with a print, there are multiples. Why would one of a multiple be more valued than a one of a kind object, in instances where both are of a similar age and done by reputable artists? It seems like the painting should be looked at as being much more rare than the print, because it is one of a kind, and should have a much higher value. About 1000 of Hokusai's great wave were apparently done initially, and there seem to be around 100 known to have survived. They seem to go for around $250,000-500,000 each these days. $250,000 500,000 multiplied by 100 copies would be 25,000,000 - 50,000,000, so that would be the general collective value of the known existing original copies of the image. Very few paintings reach that level of value in the tens of millions, or even in the hundreds of thousands. I just find the whole thing very interesting and I am curious to learn from others about this topic because I do appreciate both prints and paintings, but they sometimes confuse me on various levels, including how to assess them for value. John
John,
I believe there are several reasons that large valuations are applied to certain Japanese prints. You mention Hokusai’s Great Wave which is probably the most iconic Japanese print in the marketplace. It’s striking design was recognized back in the 19th century in the West as exceptional and these types of prints had an influence on many western artists of the time (Van Gogh, Whistler, Matisse).
Hokusai’s main artistic output was in the print medium so there is not much else to collect. Time as you pointed out as whittled down the number of existing prints in acceptable condition. While the iconic design has spread across the globe due to electronic transmission of the image in all types of media. There is a much larger population of collectors on the lookout for this print than your estimated 100 existing prints so the price goes up and up.
What I think is actually amazing is that one can buy other Hokusai prints on different subjects for less than a couple of thousand dollars. Remember he is a world class artist still available to small time collectors.
This is one of my most favorite topics… Japanese prints. My breath is still taken away at the sight of near infinite collection of pristine examples of Ukiyo-e held at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston.
What makes it valuable?
Early works by masters such as Utamaro, Hokusai, and Hiroshige were the inspiration of the impressionist art movement - that’s right! Van Ghoph was a fanatical collector and even depicted Japanese prints into his art work.
How was it inspirational? The literal translation of Ukiyo-e is ‘pictures of the floating world’. Considered a commoners art, the depictions captured the beauty of everyday life, especially through its use of color and imagery that captured textures and simply beauty of the natural world. So, they have historical cultural importance.
What also makes Japanese prints valuable is the process woodblock printing itself is an art in of itself. An artist creates the depiction, a wood carver carved a ‘key block’ for the black lines, and an individual wood block for each color to be applied. The ‘washi’ mulberry bark paper is carefully made to absorb the inks and resist wear and bleeding of color. The paper is laid on top of a color block, and an artist presses the paper onto the block with wooden spatulas to apply the ink. And while 1000 editions might be created, each often have unique variations in the color tones which can dramatically effect the visual impact.
For example, look up Hokusai’s Red Fuji and compare to Pink Fuji, both of which have sold in excess of $1 million.
20th c. prints of the Shin Hanga (new print) movement are also achieving record sales, some in excess of $100,000 (HASUI Kawasaki). The reason for these amazing results are likely due to the amazing aesthetic beauty which I’ve never heard a single person question, along with capturing the spirit of Ukiyo-e’s ‘floating world’ combined with cross cultural appeal.
As William pointed out, the relatively inexpensive price one pays for such a beautiful piece of art has led to global appreciation and demand, resulting in a massive increase in value of rare prints in exceptional condition.
I once saw a Victorian painting with the artist's signature, with R.A. behind his name decorating the wall of a Popeye's chicken, it was a genuine old painting. Tbere have been many painters througbout history and most did not achieve any real success.
@johnshoe John, let me add that the vast majority of prints done in high number have low value...$50-100. Take for instance Kunisada, the most prolific woodblock artist of the 19th c. Most of his of his work is mediocre at best, and only in cases of unusual subject matter and excellent condition/color does his works achieve values above $500.
I also wonder if the fact that more than one of the prints exist, therefore more people have the potential to profit from owning one of them, could itself drive up the price - a sort of gold rush effect? But as Tim pointed out, in most cases the woodblock prints are reasonably priced, so it is only for a certain class of print that the prices get up there.
@greeno107 My fried chicken days are long behind me, a heart stint later, but I miss spicey fried.
Japanese prints can be a real minefield if you don't know what you're getting into. A lot of the Hiroshiges and Hokusais floating around are later "restrikes" - carved from new woodblocks after the artist died, and you can't compare those to the old ones, although it takes some practice learning to see what's real and what isn't (I have made my share of misdates, but fortunately they didn't cost me much!) Then, you can have supposedly reputable dealers (I am thinking of a famous firm I shall not name) which sell pictures of often rather low quality - late impressions, faded color - for huge sums of money. But if you have someone you trust, who's willing to show you the actual differences in quality among prints, if you study copies on-line (which can teach you quite a lot) you can find some spectacularly beautiful pieces, even if they're not from a particularly famous series like Hokusai's 36 views of Mt Fuji, unaffordable to most mortals. So much goes into each print, there are so many factors involved (how early is the print in a particular print run - best if you can see strong woodgrain; how brilliant is the color; how large are the margins; what is the overall condition - centerfold, stains, fading etc) that prints even of the same design vary greatly - and I am thinking of authentic prints now, not of the restrikes (which are valueless and should be avoided, IMO).
All of these factors go into determining how much a print costs - and then, of course, there are some price-gouging dealers out there.
For example, if you look at these, you might see the difference. The one on the left is a late printing, the one on the right is much earlier. The color is fresher and better and the lines solid. To me, the other seems devoid of color and life. But the second was priced, as I noticed, at nearly twice the cost of the better one on the left. Different dealers!
@saki2015 I have some that I would appreciate knowing more about in terms of age. quality, etc. Are you able to offer some opinions if I post a few photos in this thread or even if perhaps we start a new thread with that as the specific topic others could join in posting and assessing as a group. John
@johnshoe I could try, but I am not an expert; I just collect some. I'd be really interested to look at them, though, and I hope other people would be too? Because Japanese woodblocks are so fascinating and can be so beautiful.
OH, and, BTW, the way the prints came out here is exactly the reverse of what I intended. The one on the LEFT is the good one. I'm so horribly sorry for the error.
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