Details

A commanding example of Haku Maki’s mature style, Poem 68-53 pulses with primal energy and sculptural form. Rendered in striking blue and black, the central motif—a glyph-like figure encircling a glowing yellow orb—hovers with quiet authority within a textured monolith. The sharp linearity of the design contrasts against a rough, tactile background, suggesting both the timelessness of petroglyphs and the immediacy of modern graphic abstraction.

The composition is elemental and symbolic. Maki's abstracted calligraphic forms seem suspended between ancient character and cosmic constellation, evoking a universe where language, matter, and spirit are fused. The solitary drop within the central circle recalls the tear or seed, archetypes of creation. As with many of Maki’s Poem prints, the work is meant to be read as a visual poem, where texture and line replace written script, and form becomes verse.

Connoisseur's Note

This print belongs to Maki’s renowned Poem series, a body of work whose title concept traces back to Maki’s deep reverence for Koshiro Onchi—the spiritual leader of the Sōsaku Hanga movement. Onchi’s own Poem prints treated the visual as an extension of lyrical expression, and Maki evolved this notion into an aesthetic language of deep relief and archetypal symbols.

Maki’s hallmark innovation was the use of cement blocks instead of traditional cherry wood. By carving directly into cement, he was able to achieve profound embossing, transforming his prints into tactile objects that hover between painting, sculpture, and printmaking. Poem 68-53 exhibits this characteristic embossment to full effect, with bold incisions and layered textures that emphasize the objecthood of the print itself. This impression, numbered 73/84, stands as a vivid testament to Maki’s technical rigor and spiritual modernism—offering a sensorial experience that bridges calligraphy, abstraction, and the meditative quietude of Japanese aesthetics.