Three Japanese Colored Woodblock Prints by Wada Sanzō (和田三造, Japanese, 1883–1967), mid-20th century, each stamped, depicting everyday domestic and street scenes in Japan, including intimate family life and lively urban activity.

Wada Sanzō was a prominent painter and designer, and a member of the Japan Art Academy. He is perhaps best known internationally for his work as a costume designer, receiving the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for the film Gate of Hell (1953). Beyond his work in painting and design, Wada made significant contributions to the study of color, reorganizing the Japan Standard Color Association into the Japan Color Research Laboratory in 1945 and serving as its president. His influential publication Haishoku Sōkan (A Dictionary of Color Combinations, 1933–34) documented over a thousand color harmonies, reflecting a distinctly Japanese sensitivity to tonal nuance and chromatic balance.

This refined understanding of color is evident in the present prints, where a wide range of subtle hues and carefully balanced palettes animate scenes of daily life. The compositions combine observational detail with a gentle lyricism, capturing fleeting moments with warmth and clarity while demonstrating the artist’s sophisticated command of color relationships.

{Image size: 10 x 15 inches, frame size: 14 x 19 inches}.

Overall good condition. For condition report, please contact the Asian Art Department.