Blue and white
Ai to shiro 青と白
1925
Medium
colour woodblock
Measurements
27.5 × 37.5 cm (image) 29.5 × 41.0 cm (sheet)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with funds donated by an anonymous donor, 2020
© Estate of the artist
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Scottish artist Elizabeth Keith spent several years developing this work during her decade living in Japan. A celebration of the Japanese love for the colour blue, the work pays homage to the country’s artistic traditions. The primarily blue colour scheme is a reference to Edo-period aizuri-e woodblock prints. The central figure wears a blue-and-white yukata (summer kimono) while browsing a selection of sometsuke (blue-and-white porcelain). Katsushika Hokusai’s masterpiece The great wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830, hangs in the shop window. The shopfront features indigo-dyed noren curtains and the shopkeeper wears an indigo coat and apron while attending to blue morning glory flowers.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Japan
Edition
edition of 100
Accession Number
2020.224
Departments
International Prints / International Prints and Drawings