Renowned for his delightful watercolor illustrations of the Japanese urban landscape, Tokyo based Polish illustrator Mateusz Urbanowicz is back with another charming art book, this time combining his deep love for Japanese storefronts with a healthy dash of his vivid imagination.

Aptly named ‘Imaginary Storefronts’ (空想店構え), the impetus for this new book came when the artist lost an opportunity to sketch a particular quaint optician store located in Jimbocho, Tokyo that was torn down due to redevelopment. Saddened by the disappearance of the store and the missed chance due to his procrastination, Mateusz decided then to embark on a new project to paint fictional storefronts that he would love to see.

The format of the book is largely similar to his older book Tokyo Storefronts, with a main feature illustration complimented by an additional page of drawings that offer up interesting trivia and tidbits on the store, and also an interior cross-sectional illustration thrown in for some select pieces. The captions are both in Japanese and English, allowing a much wider reader demographic to enjoy an immersive background understanding of the paintings.

Readers who purchase the book from Amazon Japan will also find 3 beautiful postcards included.

I’ve been following Mateusz’s work for a good many years now ever since discovering his beautiful art Bicycle Boy (2016) and subsequently Tokyo Storefronts as well as Tokyo At Night, so this was an easy purchase for me. Recommended.

Just like many of his earlier publications, the illustrations in this book are also available in a post card book format.

Tech note : The binding for the book does not utilize a hard-bound spine, which allows for the book to be spread open fully/easily, but it is rather delicate as a result. Handle with care when reading.

“Imaginary Storefronts – Mateusz Urbanowicz Illustration Book Review 空想店構え マテウシュ・ウルバノヴィチ” art book details :

Dimensions – 25.7 x 19 x 0.98 cm
Soft cover, 144 pages
Full color, In Japanese & English

  
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