Prosper-Alphonse Isaac (1858-1924) Three chicks. Before 1919. Woodcut. [150 x 230]. Vabre 171. Japanese-style watercolor print. A very fine proof on japon vergé, bearing the swastika in red in the lower right-hand corner. Full margins. A native of Calais, Isaac was one of the leading proponents of Japanese-style woodcutting in Parisian circles in the 1900-1920s. He learned the art himself from Japanese engravers who had come to Europe, such as Urushibara, and in turn taught these techniques to other artists such as Chadel and Géo-Fourrier. In 1913, he wrote an article on the subject for the magazine Art et décoration. He was a collector of Asian objets d'art and a lifelong member of the Société Franco-Japonaise since its creation in 1900. He also worked extensively as a decorator, designing Japanese fabrics for Bing. His engraved work includes just under two hundred prints. They generally bear his red stamp and the swastika - an age-old Indo-European symbol with spiritual connotations, evoking both the ephemeral and the eternal, the foundations of ukiyo-e. Reference is made to the catalog drawn up by Émilie Vabre, Prosper-Alphonse Isaac (1858-1924) - Entre régionalisme et japonisme. Master 2 thesis, Université Paris I, 2009-2010.