Introducing Tatsuo ICHIEN: Quiet Forms, Lasting Impressions

Work 497, 2023, ed. 10, 32" x 24"

I’m pleased to introduce Tatsuo Ichien as the newest artist represented by The Tolman Collection of New York. Ichien-san brings a deeply contemplative and technically sophisticated approach to mokuhanga, or Japanese woodblock printing. His work is compelling - at once meditative and architectonic, grounded in tradition yet shaped by a distinctly contemporary sensibility. For collectors and viewers who respond to refined surface texture, controlled color, and compositional restraint, Ichien’s works offer a rich and rewarding experience.

Born in 1948 in Aichi Prefecture and currently residing in Hyōgo, Ichien-san has spent decades developing a quiet but powerful visual language within the rigorous discipline of Japanese printmaking. His work has been exhibited widely throughout Japan and is a part of several major public collections, including the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo and the National Museum of Art in Osaka.

Work 40, 1979, ed. 30, 32" x 24"

After studying with Motonaga SADAMASA, Ichien-san participated in several Gutai group exhibitions in the 1960s, but he seems to have preferred to chart his own course rather than formally join any movement. A pivotal encounter with Akira KUROSAKI after university steered him toward woodblock printmaking.

Ichien-san’s prints often explore the threshold between form and impression—structured without rigidity, abstract without detachment. Utilizing multiple carved blocks and precise registration, he builds subtle layers of pigment and woodgrain to create nuanced fields of texture and tone. His prints reveal his masterful understanding of color modulation and negative space.

His simple abstract compositions—always titled Work followed by a number—combine the folds and logic of origami with the grounded strength of a Richard Serra sculpture. His use of water-based inks is direct and unlabored, allowing the wood grain to remain visible and active in the final print. The restraint and clarity of his palette recall the work of Ellsworth Kelly - flat planes of bold, saturated color that seem to hover between material and atmosphere. These are prints that ask for - and reward - extended looking.

Work 293, 1999, ed. 30, 32" x 24"

Bringing Ichien-san into the Tolman Collection’s stable of artists reflects my ongoing commitment to artists whose work is both technically brilliant and creatively expressive and continues the mission my parents began decades ago - to introduce our clients to the very best in contemporary Japanese printmaking. In a field where immediacy can often eclipse subtlety, Ichien-san’s prints serve as a powerful reminder of the enduring value of precision and a disciplined imagination.

I look forward to meeting Ichien-san on my next trip to Japan and to sharing his work with new and longtime collectors alike.