Yukio Fukazawa “Situation of Nap B”

Author birth and death: 1924 Masuho Village, Minamikoma District [Fujikawa Town] (Yamanashi) - 2017 Ichihara (Chiba)
Year of production: 1993
Technique Material: Mezzotint/Aquatint
Dimensions: 49.2 x 35.8 cm
Edition: 3/75
Signature, etc.: Signed “Y.Fukazawa” in the lower right corner of the margin; Title “Napping Situation B” in the lower left corner.

Exhibition history: "Techniques on Paper: Ishii Collection, University of Tsukuba" January 2012th - February 1th, 7 Musashino City Kichijoji Museum of Art cat. 2.

Literature: Edited by Rintaro Terakado, “Ishii Collection I. Paintings in the University of Tsukuba,” University of Tsukuba, Faculty of Art, 2011, cat. 68.

Collection number: 2010-JP-IS015

Work description:
From 1981 onwards, Fukasawa shifted his focus from expressing lines through etching and engraving to expressing surfaces using aquatint and mezzotint.Furthermore, he further developed the polychrome copperplate engraving technique he had used in his series of works, centered on Red Mask in 1964, and produced large-format color mezzotint works using an independently developed mezzotint engraving machine.In this work, an abstracted figure representing a person falling asleep is placed at the bottom of a predominantly black background.Here we can discern a gentle, human-centered, lyrical image that is far removed from the grand epic images of the late 1978s, such as 70's Frozen Corridor.Meanwhile, at the top of the screen, where mezzotint has been used to create delicate contrasts, starbursts illuminate the sky.This concept is a common feature of the works of this period, and at the same time reminds us of the relationship with the epic works of the past.