Flowers VIII
1965
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph (stone) in brown-red on German Etching paper
Dimensions
sheet: 27 x 21.5 cm (10 5/8 x 8 7/16 in.)
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Dorothy J. and Benjamin B. Smith
Accession Number
1983.18.172
Art Historical Context
Ruth Asawa's *Flowers VIII* (1965) captures the delicate beauty of nature through the precise art of lithography. This intimate lithograph, printed in warm brown-red ink on fine German Etching paper, just 27 x 21.5 cm, inviting close contemplation. As part of a portfolio (CG-W classification), it reflects Asawa's exploration of organic forms, a recurring theme in her oeuvre known for intricate wire sculptures inspired by her Japanese heritage and mid-century modernism. Lithography on stone, a 19th-century technique revived in the 20th century for its rich tonal range, allowed Asawa to achieve...
About the Artist
Ruth Asawa
Ruth Asawa (1926–2013), born Ruth Aiko Asawa in Norwalk, California, as the fourth of seven children to Japanese immigrant farmers Umakichi and Haru Asawa, grew up on a truck farm where she honed her artistic eye sketching natural forms in the sand. During World War II, her family endured separation under Japanese American internment; while most were held at Rohwer Relocation Center in Arkansas—wh...