Utagawa Hiroshige I (Japanese, 1797 - 1858). "Konodai and the River Tone" woodblock from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" 1856. Publisher: Uoya Eikichi. A woodblock print from Hiroshige's "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" - a series of 119 ukiyo-e genre and landscape scenes of mid-19th century Tokyo that has been rightly heralded as one of the most impressive achievements of Japanese art. See other impressions of this print held at elite museums such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Honolulu Museum of Art; British Museum, and Edo Tokyo Museum. Size: 13.25" L x 9" W (33.7 cm x 22.9 cm)

About the artist: "Born in Edo as Tokutaro Ando, Hiroshige Utagawa grew up in a minor samurai family. His father belonged to the firefighting force assigned to Edo Castle. It is here that Hiroshige was given his first exposure to art: legend has it that a fellow fireman tutored him in the Kano school of painting, though Hiroshige's first official teacher was Rinsai. Though Hiroshige tried to join Toyokuni Utagawa's studio, he was turned away. In 1811, young Hiroshige entered an apprenticeship with the celebrated Toyohiro Utagawa. After only a year, he was bestowed with the artist name Hiroshige. He soon gave up his role in the fire department to focus entirely on painting and print design. During this time he studied painting, intrigued by the Shijo school. Hiroshige’s artistic genius went largely unnoticed until 1832.

In Hiroshige's groundbreaking series of woodblock prints, The 53 Stations of the Tokaido (1832-1833), he captured the journey along the Tokaido road, the highway connecting Edo to Kyoto, the imperial capital. With the Tokugawa Shogunate relaxing centuries of age-old restrictions on travel, urban populations embraced travel art and Hiroshige Utagawa became one of the most prominent and successful ukiyo-e artists. He also produced kacho-e (bird-and-flower pictures) to enormous success. In 1858, at the age of 61, he passed away as a result of the Edo cholera epidemic.

Utagawa Hiroshige's woodblock prints continue to convey the beauty of Japan and provide insight into the everyday life of its citizens during the Edo period. The appeal of his tender, lyrical landscapes was not restricted to the Japanese audience. Hiroshige’s work had a profound influence on the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists of Europe: Toulouse-Lautrec was fascinated with Hiroshige's daring diagonal compositions and inventive use of perspective, while Van Gogh literally copied two of Hiroshige's prints from the famous series, 100 Famous Views of Edo in oil paint." (Source: Ronin Gallery website)

Woodblock prints were created in Japan as early as the 8th century to illustrate texts. By the 18th century Japanese woodblock techniques had evolved, and the first polychrome prints or nishiki-e were commissioned for wealthy patrons of the Edo period. This period was known for marvelous woodblock prints of female beauties, kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers, and courtesans of the infamous pleasure districts. In time the repertoire expanded to include romantic landscapes, flora and fauna, and dramatic historical events such as the Battle of Dan-no-Ura. Woodblocks like Yoshitora Utagawa's played a major role in the West's perception of Japanese visual culture during the late 19th century when Japonism exerted a powerful influence on French Impressionists such as Degas, Manet, and Monet, Post-Impressionists including Van Gogh, even pioneering Art Nouveau artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec.

Provenance: private Constance McCormick Fearing estate, Montecito, California, USA, acquired before 2004

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#181152

Trimmed with toning, holes, and stains commensurate with age as shown. 1" tear at right edge. Glue residue on verso.