Nihon

Nihon, a 1981 woodblock by R.C. Gorman, ventures into Japanese aesthetic territory while maintaining the artist’s distinctive figurative voice. The title references Japan, and indeed the composition shows clear woodblock print influences in its spare composition and refined line work. A figure in profile, rendered with delicate linework characteristic of traditional Japanese prints, wears a voluminous garment of striking color—deep coral-orange with purple and gray striped sections creating dramatic pattern. A golden-yellow lower garment flows beneath. The figure’s form is rendered with soft modeling, the face serene and contemplative. The washi-like paper surface and subdued background emphasize the figure’s silhouette. This rare exploration of Eastern printmaking tradition by Gorman offers collectors a unique intersection of Japanese woodblock aesthetics with Southwestern figurative sensibility.