Tomoo Inagaki

Four Cats Sleeping

Tomoo Inagaki's Four Cats Sleeping is an original woodcut 'Artist Proof Impression'. It is printed upon fine hand made mulberry (rice) paper and with full margins as published between 1950 to 1960 and is signed with Tomoo Inagaki's signature within the block. Four Cats Sleeping is an important, original example of the woodcut art created by the Modern Japanese artist, Tomoo Inagaki.

Original Woodcut by Tomoo Inagaki.

Four Cats Sleeping

Selected Directories in our Gallery (Art of The Print / www.artoftheprint.com), with a focus on the area of interest for this original work of art.
Art of the Print / www.artoftheprint.com sells international fine art. Our collection consists of original paintings, watercolors, drawings, and original prints, such as etchings, engravings, lithographs, woodcuts, silk-screens, aquatints, mezzotints, linocuts, monoprints, and other mediums of original art. All of these works of art have been created by prominent and established painters, illustrators, watercolour artists and printmakers from around the world. The art in our gallery ranges from the early Renaissance period to the modern and contemporary art period. You can view other original artworks similar to the subject under discussion on this page listed in the following art directories.
Century:
Fine 20th Century Artist Index	The '20th Century artist' directory contains a listing of original works of art created by watercolor artists, painters, illustrators and graphic artists from around the world. These original works date from 1900 to the present day.
Country:
Japanese Artist Index	The 'Japanese Art' directory contains a listing of original works of art created by artists from Japan and or art with an Japanese theme. The artworks date from the 17th century to the 20th and early 21st century.
Subject:
Animals in Art Index	The 'Animal Art' directory contains a selection of original animal art created by artists throughout the centuries, depicting birds, cats, dogs, horses, cows, sheep, pigs, monkeys, fish and or many other creatures. The artists' depictions range from rare zoological studies to some very humorous animal portrayals.

Customer inquiries: Contact us or phone Greg & Connie (905) 957-6666

Title:	Four Cats Sleeping
Artist:	Inagaki, Tomoo (Tokyo, 1902 - 1980)
Date:	c. 1950 - 1960
Medium:	Original Woodcut
Note:	Tomoo Inagaki: A distinguished Sosaku Hanga printmaker, Tomoo Inagaki began his career as a worker in a steel company. Influenced by contemporary poetry and art, he enrolled in printmaking classes conducted by Koshiro Onchi and Un-ichi Hiratsuka. He began exhibiting his original woodcuts in 1924 and shortly thereafter left his position at the steel company and established a commercial design studio.
	Tomoo Inagaki was forced to close his commercial art studio during the Second World War. Up to that point his reputation mainly rested on his woodcut and screenprint still life images. After the end of World War II, however, he devoted himself almost exclusively to the imagery which made him artist of international repute -- cats. During the 1950's Inagaki was invited to exhibit his woodcuts of cats at major print exhibitions in Paris, Tokyo and Lugano, Switzerland. Today the woodcuts and screenprints of Tomoo Inagaki are included in many major public collections in Europe, Japan and America.
	This particular impression of Four Cats Sleeping is a working proof, pulled before the edition was published in its finished state. Printer ink marks -- no doubt experimenting with color tones -- appear both to the extreme upper left and in the margins. As well, Inagaki was dissatisfied with the white shape of the lowest cat's stomach, and glued a small, horizontal strip of mulberry paper between the front leg and chest to expand the area of white. No doubt he than re-cut this portion of the block to achieve this desired effect for the published state. Apart from the obvious beauty of this large proof woodcut, these elements help us to appreciate Inagaki's creative impulses at work.
Edition:	Working Proof
Size:	24 X 19 3/4 (Sizes in inches are approximate, height preceding width of plate-mark or image.)
	Matted with 100% Archival Materials
Condition:	Printed upon fine hand made mulberry (rice) paper and with full margins as printed around 1950 to 1960. Containing the printer's ink marks and the paper addition, as mentioned earlier. Slight scuffing and creasing exist in the outer margins, but do not intrude into the actual print image. Signed with Inagaki's "Tomoo" signature within the block. A finely printed full color impression -- perhaps the first impression to be taken from the block -- and in very good condition throughout. Four Cats Sleeping represents a large and important example of the art of Tomoo Inagaki.
Price:	Sold - The price is no longer available.
Important Information:	The artist biographies, research and or information pertaining to all the original works of art posted on our pages has been written and designed by Greg & Connie Peters exclusively for our site, (www.artoftheprint.com). Please visit us regularly to view the latest artworks offered for sale. We will soon be posting an update of our most recent research and include the biographical and historical information pertaining to our next collection of original works of art created by artists throughout the centuries. We hope you found the information you were looking for and that it has been beneficial. Our Gallery, (Art of the Print / www.artoftheprint.com) guarantees the authenticity of every work of art we sell 100%. Full documentation and certification is provided. We offer a wide selection of international fine art dating from the early Renaissance to the contemporary art period.