Exhibition of printed woodcuts on view at Harn through Feb. 3

June 29, 2012

GAINESVILLE, Fla.— Visitors to the Harn Museum of Art will witness the fusion of traditional Japanese printing techniques with modern European aesthetics through the “Souvenirs of Modern Asia: The Prints of Paul Jacoulet” exhibition. The exhibition will be on view through Feb. 3, 2013.

“Souvenirs of Modern Asia” features a remarkable set of 55 colorful and masterfully printed woodcuts by French artist Paul Jacoulet who lived and worked in Japan most of his life. Jacoulet’s works were inspired by his extensive travels in China, Japan, Korea and the South Pacific.

Jacoulet’s prints evoke the themes and methods of the traditional Japanese woodblock print genre known as ukiyo-e which dates back to the 17th century. Literally meaning “pictures of the floating world,” ukiyo-e prints typically featured landscapes, tales from history and the theatre, and scenes from everyday life.

Jacoulet revitalized this tradition by introducing Western realism and new subject matter as well as elaborate new techniques and innovative materials. For example, he used precious metals and natural pigments in devising new shadings as well as colored mica, powdered semi-precious stones and small embossing blocks for added texture. Jacoulet’s inventive compositions are examples of superb craftsmanship, each print involved as many as 300 pressings of handmade paper against as many as sixty carved cherry wood blocks.

Complementing the woodcuts, is a unique selection of letters, brochures and photographs related to the artist. These were gifted to the museum by Eugene Finkin whose mother, Dorothy Finkin, met Jacoulet in Japan in 1947 and later was Jacoulet’s New York City dealer. The museum expresses sincere appreciation to Eugene Finkin for his generous gifts and loans which have made this exhibition possible. Additional gifts from Norma and William Roth have enriched the exhibition by expanding the representation of early works by this remarkable artist.

This exhibition is organized by the Harn Museum of Art and made possible by Ted and Hallie McFetridge and the Harn Program Endowment, with additional support from the Margaret J. Early Program Endowment, the Harn Annual Fund and the Fund for Excellence.

Admission to the museum is free. For more information, call 352-392-9826 or visit www.harn.ufl.edu.