Posted by LCD on December 09, 1998 at 21:40:53:
John Fiorillo (did I spell it correctly?) noted in one of the chats that one should rely on the gestalt in reacting to a print. (Mr. Fiorillo, I am certainly taking license with your comment and mean you no harm here.) That rings true to me. I, a new student and collector of Edo period woodblocks, have arrived at a stage where I know the real thing when I see it. The next step, for me at least, is an increase in factual knowledge. Where can one really study Edo period prints? I have read many book, consulted the library of my local university, and forged various contacts. Yet I still lack the knowledge base I seek. Where can one find detailed information about the artists, printers, and publishers of the Edo period? I am thinking of contacting the art history department of a university. As a college professor myself, I am reluctant to throw myself, knowing my relative ignorance, on the mercies of an art historian. Is there a better way?