Ryohei Tanaka, Ohara – Jizo (Preparatory Drawings)

Notes: From a single collection, that was obtained directly from the artist. Numbered, signed and dated in pencil by the artist. Includes the original sketch, preparatory drawing, along with the first completed etching of the design; signified as "A.P.". The sketch and preparatory drawings illustrate how much information Tanaka needed to be able to format and compose his etchings. Composition and angle are already clear. Rough indications concerning the building's shape would be suffice. Tanaka already had the textures of nature and the building materials in his head and later in the studio would apply his arsenal of etching techniques. The sketches and preliminary drawings had no artistic value and were often disposable; only the A.P. printed proofs of the final state were usually retained for reference purposes.