Throughout its long history, Japanese wood block printing developed various styles and schools of thought. One such style which Morimura Ray particularly works within is Ukiyo-e which literally translates as “pictures of the floating world”. In these types of visual stories, landscapes and tales from history and the theatre are favored which is in sharp contrast to many of his contemporaries which favor a more abstract style.
Morimura creates limited editions of 50 prints on thin paper. His work does not look contemporary; it resembles the illustrations found in old fairy tale books. The colors are flat and strong and his work conveys day-to-day activities in a direct, simple way. Ray’s largest influences were earlier Japanese woodblock print masters Shigeru Hatsuyama [1897-1973] and Sumio Kawakami [1895-1972].
