Background

Mr. Watanabe (1913-1996) specialized in Christian religious themes expressed in a Japanese context. He used a printing technique called kappazuri, in which stencils are used to define the image on a very strong Japanese paper made of mulberry pulp. The first stage involves the application and drying of a dye-resist paste that covers all portions that will be left unprinted. The patterns and colors are then brushed over the stencil, affecting only those areas without resist paste. Multiple stencils may be used for a color print. When completed, the dye resist paste is then washed off and the paper dried on a wood board.

Mr. Watanabe’s artworks are on display in the British Museum, Vatican Museum of Modern Religious Art, Tokyo Museum of Modern Art, and many others.