Accession Number
1998/2.18

Title
Tales of Genji I

Artist(s)
Helen Frankenthaler

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1998

Medium & Support
woodcut on light sienna TGL handmade paper

Dimensions
42 in x 47 in (106.68 cm x 119.38 cm);49 in x 54 in x 2 in (124.46 cm x 137.16 cm x 5.08 cm)

Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by a gift from Helmut Stern

Label copy
Helen Frankenthaler
United States, 1928–2011
Tales of Genji 1
1998
33-color woodcut on light sienna TGL handmade paper
Museum purchase made possible by a gift from Helmut Stern, 1998/2.18
(Flip Your Field: Abstract Art from the Collection, June 9 – September 2, 2012, text by Celeste Brusati)

Subject matter
TheTale of Genji is an 11th century Japanese romance centered around an emperor's son (Genji).  It is regarded as the world's first novel. The novel inspired many ukiyo-e woodcut prints.  Tales of Genji, the print, was a three year collaborative project (beginning in 1995) between Helen Frankenthaler, Kenneth Tyler of Tyler Graphics, Ltd., and Yasuyuki Shibata. Together they created a series of six woodcut prints that resemble watercolor paintings. Prior to Tales of Genji, Frankenthaler helped to revitalize woodcut printing in the 1970s. 

Physical Description
This is an abstract multi-colored woodcut print with visible wood grain. The background color is primarily peach. The colors in the print, including blue, green, yellow, white, orange, and brown, appear to drip down and run into each other. 

This is 18th in an edition of 30.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
Abstract (fine arts style)
Japanese (culture or style)
abstraction
multicolored
novels
woodcuts (prints)