Paul Binnie (artist 1967 –)
Bandō Tamasaburō V (坂東玉三郎) as the Spirit of the Heron in The Heron Maiden (Sagi Musume 鷺娘) from the series 'A Great Mirror of the Actors of the Heisei Period' (Heisei Yakusha Okagami - 平成役者大鏡)
05/1997
11.875 in x 17 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
Signed in kanji: Bin-ni (敏弐)
Signed in pencil: Paul Binnie
Artist's seal: Binnie
Date seal: Heisei kyu-nen
Numbered in pencil: 12/100
Series numbered 二十九 (29)
Ritsumeikan - 2007 exhibition entry
The Binnie Catalogue Scholten Japanese Art wrote of this performance:
"Sagi Musume is set beside a frozen pond in the middle of winter as confetti, simulating falling snow and sensitively depicted in the composition in white, grey, and purple, falls onto the stage. The Heron Spirit performs a number of transformations over the course of the dance. In the first section the spirit conjures a young maiden, dressed in a red kimono whose dance reflects the joy of love. However, the transformations are successively more bleak, culminating in the final change, which is depicted in this composition. The maiden lies upon the stage floor, suffering in hell for the frivolity of her youth. She is dressed in white and is depicted with deep sadness upon her face."
On another page Scholten wrote:
"This portrait of Bando Tamasaburo V (b. 1950) depicts the actor, famous for his skills as a dancer, in the poignant role of The Heron Maiden. The scene is near the end of the dance when the maiden suffers in hell for her frivolous youth. The stark, angular flakes in the background, sensitively printed in white, grey and purple, are the confetti used to simulate falling snow."
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This is from an edition of 100. It was carved and printed by the artist himself.
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Illustrated in Paul Binnie: A Dialogue with the Past: the First 100 Japanese Prints, edited by E. Van den Ing, 2007, Art Media Resources, Chicago, page 49.
self-printed (sōsaku hanga - 創作版画) (genre)
actor prints (yakusha-e - 役者絵) (genre)
Bandō Tamasaburō V (五代目坂東玉三郎: since June 1964) (actor)