Von der Linie zur Landschaft

Japanese graphic artist Tanaka Ry-hei (1933-2019) created over 770 etchings during his life, finding his subjects predominantly in rural Japan. Tanaka's detailed, almost hyper-realistic etchings show the gradually disappearing farmhouses with thatched roofs, barns, and houses. But his favoured motifs also included trees and rice fields, as well as temple roofs and gardens. Japan's tradition in the making of prints dates back a long way. While woodblock prints from the 18th to early 20th century have been the focus of numerous exhibitions and publications, much less attention has been paid to prints and etchings from the post-war period. This publication is the first German-language monographic work dedicated to the life and work of Tanaka Ry-hei, focusing on those aspects of Japanese print history that are still less familiar today. The book contains a detailed introduction to the technique of etching and presents over 150 works by the artist, inviting us to immerse ourselves in the tranquillity and harmony of the Japanese landscape.
Look inside
- Japanese etchings from the post-war period - Tanaka Ry-hei reveals the world of Japan's disappearing landscapes - First publication in German to accompany the first major retrospective exhibition in Germany - Exhibition: 30.11.2024-13.04.2025, Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Cologne

Chris van Otterloo, Japanese Studies, Leiden University; postgraduate scholarship, Kyoto University; student of Tanaka Ry-hei and several years of collaboration; scholarship and master's course in Japanese painting and art history at the Kyoto Municipal Art Academy; curator; Guest curator of the exhibition Rembrandt's Etchings in a New Light at the Machida City Museum of Graphic Art, Tokyo, and the Kawamura Memorial Art Museum, Sakura, 1993; European representative for the Hida Takayama Museum of Art; numerous publications on Japanese and European artists; Van Otterloo's own works are included in the collections of the Riji Museum of Art, Tokyo, and the Kawamura Memorial Art Museum, Sakura, 1993. Van Otterloo's own works are represented in the collections of the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), the Kunstmuseum (The Hague), the Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney) and the National Gallery of Australia (Canberra), among others.