SERIZAWA Hand Stenciled Style Greeting Card Set of 12 RARE Mid Century

Description

This is a set of 12 greeting cards designed by Keisuke Serizawa and each card was designed from original hand-stenciled and dye prints called Katazome on a folding Japanese Washi paper and each card measures 3.25" x 4.5". They were produced using a woodblock print technique.
Serizawa is a world-renowned famous designer, illustrator, stencil artist, and painter. Each card depicts beautiful Japanese seasonal activities, people, children and their daily lifestyles through the eyes of a Mingei artist. Mingei largely means "folk art---the arts and crafts made by the people for their daily use." Serizawa was part of a small group of artists and scholars who were concerned about the loss of the traditional arts and helped to start an art appreciation movement called the Mingei Movement along with other famous artists such as Shoji Hamada and Bernard Leach. These artists wanted to ensure the Japanese traditional arts would not expire and that artisans and craftsmen could be able to pass their crafts on to the next generation.
His distinct art style known as "Katazome" had acquired worldwide attention in the early 1930's. His "Mingei (folk art)" work using a hand-stenciled dyeing technique was derived from the Ryukyu Bingata method of stencil dyeing. He learned the technique when he visited Okinawa several times and studied this Bingata technique under Katatsue-ya in Naha and applied the technique into many of his own unique art works such as book covers, magazine illustrations, Kimono, scrolls, screens, curtains, calendars and greeting cards like this particular piece. The Japanese government designated him as a "Living National Treasure" in 1956 acknowledging his effort for the preservation of Japanese traditional arts as well as his prolific work.
The condition of this set is excellent having been safely stored for these many years and each card comes with its original envelope. The age of this set is from the 1950's and needless to say, it is an extremely rare set indeed.