Following WWII, Japanese artists were exposed to western printmaking. Rather than copy western techniques, the Japanese blended existing woodblock techniques (Sosaku Hanga and Shin Hanga) with western techniques- if they used western techniques at all. One technique that some adopted was called mezzotint.

Mezzotint is made by taking a plate and marking it with thousands of little dots using a metal tool with small teeth, called a "rocker". In printing, the tiny pits in the plate retain the ink when the face of the plate is wiped clean. To produce light areas, the artist carefully brushes away the ink from the selected areas. This technique can achieve a high level of quality and richness in the print and provides more detail than Japanese woodblocks.

Kaoru Saito studied art from 1948-1950.  Saito is a member of Shunyo-kai, an important Japanese artist association of printmakers. Kaoru Saito is mainly known for his mezzotints of sensitive female images and is one of the most successful mezzotint artists in Japan.

This mezzotint depicts a locket, leaves, and a glass bottle in the foreground. In addition to the print, the single piece metal frame is of exceptional quality.

Age: 1977

Dimensions:

Mezzotint - 7.5 x 9 inches

Frame - 16 x 18 inches