Kazuyuki Ohtsu (Japanese, b. 1935) served for forty years as the assistant to Kiyoshi Saito, a woodblock artist at the forefront of the sōsaku hanga movement. Instead of the division of labor relied on by Hiroshige, Hokusai, and virtually every other Japanese printmaker who preceded them, the “creative print” artists handled every step of the production of prints themselves. They painted the original pictures, carved the woodblocks, and printed the images. The four prints in this collection capture the beauty of cherry trees, celebrated in Japanese literature, poetry, and art for hundreds of years. The spring blossoms are rich in symbolism, with their brief lifespan and fragile beauty often serving as a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life. Ohtsu’s colors are elemental, deep, and true—expressive without drama. He draws us into his compositions in a poetic contemplation of nature and harmony. Ohtsu’s artwork has been exhibited and collected worldwide. Contains five each of the following notecards: A Cherry Tree and Mt. Yatsugatake Flowers in Village Miharutaki Cherry Tree and Moon A Large Cherry Tree in Spring
