Editioned Woodblock Print Jeune Fille de Saipan by Paul Jacoulet

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A Japanese Woodblock print by Paul Jacoulet (French, 1896-1960) entitled Jeune Fille de Saipan et Fleur d'Hibiscus Marianes (Young Girl … Read more A Japanese Woodblock print by Paul Jacoulet (French, 1896-1960) entitled Jeune Fille de Saipan et Fleur d'Hibiscus Marianes (Young Girl of Saipan and Hibiscus Flowers Marianas). Created in 1934, this is a first print Jacoulet made from his South Sea Watercolor, thus launched his career in Japanese woodblock. This print is of the second edition, bearing an embedded Jacoulet watermark, an edition number 214/350 verso and a mistaken seal mark Maeda/Honda on the lower left (The carver of the print was Yamagishi). The second edition was carried out under Jacquet's supervision. It omitted the frown lines on the girl's forehead and reworked the color palette to a brighter and crispier version. The background is shimmering with fine silver mica.
The print, a tongue-in-cheek subversive reinterpretation of the controversial 1863 painting Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe by Edouard Manet (1832-1883), is one of the most well-received prints by the artist. The work depicts a couple posed under the sunset in their traditional attires; except that this time, the male, with his back facing toward the viewer, is scantily clothed. The female, posed frontal, struck a more traditionally male pose, while the male appeared coyer and more feminine. Devoid of metallic powders, the soft, pastel like color palette is seductively romantic. The sharply cut key block is set against an abstract background with eight impressions. The notch cut in the corner of the paper represents a registration cut for aligning the paper during printing.
The image size is 11.75" x 15.5".
It should be noted that Jacoulet did not pulled the prints in the order of his edition number due to his complicated and eccentric numbering system.
Reference: No 1 "The Prints of Paul Jacoulet: A Complete Illustrated Catalog by Richard Miles.
Located in Tishu Atlanta.

An eccentric artist of his time, Paul Jacoulet was born in France but lived most his life in Japan. He is considered as one of the few western artists who have mastered the art of woodblock printing sufficiently to be recognized in Japan. Largely rooted in traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques and ukiyo-e style, the artist developed a unique and recognizable style infused with his own aesthetic vision and technical approaches that set himself apart from Japanese artists. Nearly all portraits, Jacoulet depicted a wide range of people he encountered in his extensive travelling in the Far East as well as South Pacific. Often in their traditional outfits and surrounded by endogenous flora and props, his models often convey a more western sense of pose, with some directly confronting the viewers. Jacoulet occupies a special place in the world of ukiyo-e, the artist formed a bridge between the East and West. See less