The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Sutra Repository of Iwaya-dera

Sutra Repository of Iwaya-dera

1940
Location: not on view

Description

The Buddhist temple of Iwaya-dera, located near Nagoya, is noted for its complete collection of woodcut sutras printed in China during the Song dynasty (AD 960-1279). Hiratsuka was attracted by the interesting construction under the roof. Hiratsuka was one of the leaders of the sosaku-hanga movement as it gained momentum during the 1920s and 1930s. Although he had mastered traditional color woodcut techniques, he preferred powerful black-and-white images of landscapes and portraits. The large scale of his dramatic works expresses his ideas: "I have always tried for power and strength in my pictures. I have done some Japanese-style brush painting, but I always come back to prints because I feel that they are stronger." Enlarging the format beyond the size of traditional ukiyo-e prints reflects the new possibilities of installing graphics on the walls of large, modern houses, in art galleries, and in international museum exhibitions.
  • (Harry C. Nail, Jr., Palo Alto, CA)
  • Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; December 12, 2004- April 10, 2005. "Visions of Japan: Prints and Paintings from Cleveland Collections".
    A Tradition Transformed: Japanese Prints, 1947-1987. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 9-April 24, 1988).
    Transformations in Japanese Printmaking. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 25-December 30, 1984).
    The Relief Print. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 5-March 28, 1960).
  • {{cite web|title=Sutra Repository of Iwaya-dera|url=false|author=Unichi Hiratsuka|year=1940|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1959.201