Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/Ghosts from the crushing defeat

Ghosts from the crushing defeat

Original - Humorous woodcut of the Russo-Japanese War by Kobayashi Kiyochika. Depicts Russian Tsar Nicholas II waking from a nightmare of battered and wounded Russian forces returning from battle. Created 1904 or 1905.

Reason

High resolution Japanese woodcut about the Russo-Japanese War. Good ev at the article about the war and the artist's biography. Restored version of Image:Forces returning.jpg. Restored by User:Jake Wartenberg and translated by User:Mantokun. Translation available at the image hosting page.

Articles this image appears in

Kobayashi Kiyochika, Russo-Japanese War

Creator

Kobayashi Kiyochika

• Support as conominator — Jake Wartenberg 21:49, 24 February 2009 (UTC)
• Support as conominator — Mantokun (talk) 12:08, 25 February 2009 (UTC)
• Support Excellent quality, different, and very funny. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 14:47, 25 February 2009 (UTC)
• Comment - there seems to be a lot of scratches. Ceranthor 18:59, 25 February 2009 (UTC)
  • I think that what you are seeing is the paper grain, and a property of the original print. Things don't always look great at full resolution, but that is not how they are meant to be viewed. — Jake Wartenberg 19:23, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Ok. I've never restored prints, honestly, so that comment was more of a question than a concern. Ceranthor 20:54, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Yes, that's perfectly normal for a ukiyo-e. The paper - washi, I believe - has a somewhat fibrous grain. Have a look at any of the reasonably large Japanese FPCs and you'll see similar. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 21:12, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Comment As Shoemaker affirms, this has paper grain and natural effects of the woodblock printing process. I'll recuse from reviewing because I reviewed and advised on this work before the nomination went up. Durova^Charge! 23:18, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

• Support - beautiful example of a humorous Japanese woodcut. The paper grain does not detract, in my view. —Mattisse (Talk) 20:33, 26 February 2009 (UTC)
• Comment I don't speak a word of Japanese, but I am guessing that the translation of the text could use some clean-up (some copy-editing, at a minimum). Spikebrennan (talk) 21:30, 26 February 2009 (UTC)
• Support: Excellent quality. Maedin\^talk 19:15, 9 March 2009 (UTC)

Promoted File:Forces returning 2.jpg MER-C 06:52, 10 March 2009 (UTC)