This image is a poem written in ancient characters. It is simple letters super-imposed, the letters are untinged and outlined in black. The background is a deep blue marbled black, giving a more calm mood and a very aqua-appearance. It is remarkably small, forcing the viewer to pay close attention, 8.75" x 6.5". The poem is symmetrical, and with little attention to style, more child-like, simplistic renderings. It may have been purposely cryptic, considering that the woodblock was made in 1969. This style may actually fit into the 'hippie', calm notions of the late 60s early 70s. Unfortunately the meaning of this poem is not known, but presumably it would relate to the calm ambiance of the colors framing it. Haku Maki was actually originally from China, but studied in Japan as a sōsaku hanga artist, known for his abstract-calligraphic prints to produce "striking and serene images" (http://www.artelino.com/articles/haku-maki.asp) He is best known
for his work in the book “Festive Wine: Ancient Japanese Poems
from the Kinkafu”, a translation of 21 ancient poems called
Kinkafu or “Music for Wagon Songs”.
I really like this image. I like the color combination and the aesthetic balance of it all. It is a shame that the meaning of the poem is unknown, because I think as the viewer, I would have had a better grasp of what the image was trying to convey. It does give this image a very mysterious quality.
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