^Lot 260134 Kaoru Saito SNOWY NIGHT Mezzotint Japanese Art Print

This masterful mezzotint is by well-known Japanese artist Kaoru Saito: Title: "Snowy Night" 1989 Mezzotint Sheet size: 14¼ × 15 Image size: 8½ × 10 Signed and numbered from an edition of 93 Bright and fresh; never mounted, matted or framed Certificate of Authenticity Kaoru Saito is basically self-taught in the mezzotint process, yet he is considered to be one of its most accomplished technicians. It is an extremely difficult, labor-intensive and rarely practiced print method, including scratching hundreds, if not thousands of passes across a metal plate until the entire surface has a rough, uniform texture. The plate would print solid black if it were now run through the press. A burnishing tool is then used to rub smooth the areas which will print from gray to white. Mezzotint rewards the skilled practitioner with subtle shading and incredible graphic detail. Images in this series that include color were printed with additional, aquatint plates. Saito, now in his 70s, was born and still lives in Kanagawa prefecture, Japan.