Michel Henry [The Lagoon of Venice] Original silk screen print, signed by the artist [framed]

Limited to 300 copies. Image size: 65 x 81 cm. Frame size: 95 x 111 cm. Created in 1985.

Silkscreen printing was invented in the early 20th century. It is a screen printing technique in which color seeps through the mesh of silk or other materials and is transferred to paper or fabric. Areas where the color should not seep through are blocked off. The number of plates is equal to the number of colors used. It was used in the art field by American companies such as Warhol in the 1950s, and became popular as an art printing technique. By allowing a large amount of color to seep out, it is possible to create a thickness similar to that of oil paint, making it the perfect printing technique for Michel Henry, who has beautiful matière (the texture of paint applied with a brush or other tool).

Michel Henry is a painter who mainly paints flowers, and together with Buffet and Brasilier, he is one of the leading painters in the 20th century French art world. His paintings give off a sense of happiness, so he is called the painter of happiness in France, and the king of poppies in America, because he paints many poppies. His transparent colors are likened to jewels. Red is said to be the color of ruby, blue is the color of sawaire, green is the color of emerald, and deep brown is the color of topaz. Michel Henry's paintings are collected by the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, the Swedish royal family, the Principality of Monaco, the Saudi Arabian royal family, and others. Galerie Adeka has been the sole distributor of Michel Henry in Japan since 1995, planning Michel Henry exhibitions in famous department stores and galleries throughout Japan, producing original prints signed by the artist himself, selling painting prints, and managing copyrights.

This original silkscreen print is a two-part series depicting the most beautiful seas in the Mediterranean, Monte Carlo in the Principality of Monaco and Venice in Italy, and was produced by a publisher in Paris in 1986. It was purchased directly from the publisher in Paris in 2004.

Work Description

A large bouquet of peonies and delphiniums is painted, occupying half of the canvas. A slightly deep blue sea and the spires and domes of Venice can be seen beyond it. The blue and pink sky fills the canvas, blending the sea and sky. The colors of the flowers and the background are similar, and the colors resonate with each other. Europeans have said, "See Venice and then die," because of the beauty of Venice, and Thomas Mann, a German writer active in the early 20th century, left behind a magnificent work called "Death in Venice," which is based on Venice, together with Gustav Mahler, an Austrian composer from the 19th to early 20th centuries. With the distant view of Venice, the sky, and the sea in the background, the flowers protrude from the canvas and stand out in a three-dimensional way, as if they are jumping out. The wonderful combination of warm and cool colors gives this bouquet a three-dimensional feel.

Gallery Adeka Yasuhiro Takeda