Amano Book Review #1: Maten
Amano Book Review #2: Hiten
Amano Book Review #3: Think Like Amano
Amano Book Review #4: The Virgin
Amano Book Review #5: Collecting Paintings of Amano's World
Amano Book Review #6: Amano: The Complete Prints (ISBN 978-0060567637)
292 pages, 10.5x9 inches
Amano The Complete Prints is a comprehensive catalog of his printmaking and lithography work from 1991 to 2001. These pieces were created at Amano's workshops across Japan, Paris, and New York.
Before continuing, it might help to understand how a lithograph is produced. The initial drawing for a lithograph is drawn in reverse on a stone or plate with a crayon or pencil. After the drawing is completed, the drawing is sealed with various liquids and powders. These process allows ink to mirror the image when paper is pressed into the stone. This is repeated for prints with multiple colors. MoMa has a good overview of this procedure.
While Amano creates the drawings, printmakers and assistants have the task of producing the actual prints. The unique feature of artwork created in this fashion is that there is no "original" in the traditional sense. Every print is a copy of the first drawing, each with minute differences depending on how ink seeps into the paper. The approved prints are numbered and signed, while the drawing plate and unacceptable prints are recycled.
This book contains over 919 prints, ranging from personal work, Final Fantasy, Vampire Hunter D, Sandman, and The Tale of Genji. The real meat of the book lies in it's 79-page complete catalogue, which details the technical information of each print. Each piece's edition size, dimensions, lithograph type, and workshop of origin is detailed. This book is particularly useful for collectors in search of these prints. For example, this is the page for the Final Fantasy VII silkscreens:
So print #463 has an edition of 200, with 30 artist proofs (production samples, basically).
And this framed print is number 120 of 200, yours for only $700 secondhand. When these prints were first produced, they would have cost a couple thousand.
There is also a small selection of reproduction prints towards the back, although these have more in common with a conventional inkjet print or mass produced poster. Nonetheless, the editions are usually small, ranging from 50 prints all the way to 300 copies per image.
All in all, this is one of the seminal books in Amano's bibliography. There is a wide range of material in black and white as well as vibrant color prints. If you can find a copy for less than $50, scoop it up as soon as possible.
Amano Book Review #2: Hiten
Amano Book Review #3: Think Like Amano
Amano Book Review #4: The Virgin
Amano Book Review #5: Collecting Paintings of Amano's World
Amano Book Review #6: Amano: The Complete Prints (ISBN 978-0060567637)
292 pages, 10.5x9 inches
Amano The Complete Prints is a comprehensive catalog of his printmaking and lithography work from 1991 to 2001. These pieces were created at Amano's workshops across Japan, Paris, and New York.
Before continuing, it might help to understand how a lithograph is produced. The initial drawing for a lithograph is drawn in reverse on a stone or plate with a crayon or pencil. After the drawing is completed, the drawing is sealed with various liquids and powders. These process allows ink to mirror the image when paper is pressed into the stone. This is repeated for prints with multiple colors. MoMa has a good overview of this procedure.
While Amano creates the drawings, printmakers and assistants have the task of producing the actual prints. The unique feature of artwork created in this fashion is that there is no "original" in the traditional sense. Every print is a copy of the first drawing, each with minute differences depending on how ink seeps into the paper. The approved prints are numbered and signed, while the drawing plate and unacceptable prints are recycled.
This book contains over 919 prints, ranging from personal work, Final Fantasy, Vampire Hunter D, Sandman, and The Tale of Genji. The real meat of the book lies in it's 79-page complete catalogue, which details the technical information of each print. Each piece's edition size, dimensions, lithograph type, and workshop of origin is detailed. This book is particularly useful for collectors in search of these prints. For example, this is the page for the Final Fantasy VII silkscreens:
So print #463 has an edition of 200, with 30 artist proofs (production samples, basically).
And this framed print is number 120 of 200, yours for only $700 secondhand. When these prints were first produced, they would have cost a couple thousand.
There is also a small selection of reproduction prints towards the back, although these have more in common with a conventional inkjet print or mass produced poster. Nonetheless, the editions are usually small, ranging from 50 prints all the way to 300 copies per image.
All in all, this is one of the seminal books in Amano's bibliography. There is a wide range of material in black and white as well as vibrant color prints. If you can find a copy for less than $50, scoop it up as soon as possible.
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