29/07/2023
'Tears' (涙, Namida), a striking 2009 ōban tate-e (vertical ōban), by Paul Binnie (born 1967), a Scottish artist (from Airthrey Castle) working in the Japanese tradition of woodblock printing.
Image size (h x w): 17 3/4 x 12 1/4 inches
Edition size: 50
This print is a variation of 'Morning Tears' (朝に涙, Asa ni Namida) from the 'Collection of Eastern Brocade Beauties' series. The title of the original design, 'Morning Tears', brings to mind the famous 1930 print 'Morning Hair,' by Torii Kotondo (鳥居 言人, 1900 – 1976) or Torii Kiyotada V (五代目 鳥居 清忠), a Japanese painter and woodblock printer of the Torii school of ukiyo-e artists, which was reportedly confiscated by the Japanese government who found the subject (the proverbial 'morning after') too suggestive!
Binnie's image is suggestive in a far different way; here a beauty weeps while hiding her face.
In contrast to the lavish icy-blue mica background on the original 'Morning Tears', the deep red ground on this edition, titled simply 'Tears', evokes a slightly different mood.
Both versions leave the crux of the story to our interpretation.
Source: Scholten Japanese Art.
