(SOLD) Sudden shower at Akata - Hiroshige

One Hundred Famous Views of Edo - In 1856, Hiroshige began designing what was to be his last great series and a masterpiece, "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo." The series contains 118 vertical format woodblocks of classic Hiroshige landscapes. From spring cherry blossoms to summer fireworks, from quiet scenes along the river to lively festival celebrations, Hiroshige captures life in old Edo in dramatic and interesting ways. Hiroshige employed an inventive compositional technique in many of the prints, using large foreground elements to frame a distant view in the background, such as the image of Kinryuzan Temple seen through the doorway of the famous Thunder Gate. Beautifully printed with fine bokashi shading, "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" retains its popularity today as one of Hiroshige's great masterworks, and includes some of his most memorable images.

Yamada Shoin's Selected Famous Views of Edo - Around 1965, the Tokyo publisher Yamada Shoin released a reprint series of sixty selected designs from Hiroshige's "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo." This beautifully printed series includes iconic images such as pedestrians caught in a thunderstorm in "Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake," an eagle soaring high above the plains in "Fukagawa Susaki and Jumantsubo," and the beautiful blossoms of "Horikiri Iris Garden" and "Plum Estate, Kameido."

Drawing on the traditions and methods of the Edo era, the skilled artisans of Yamada Shoin carefully carved and printed new blocks to beautifully recreate Hiroshige's most memorable designs from the series. Printed to exacting standards with clear, vibrant color and fine bokashi shading, these lovely reprints faithfully capture the beauty of Hiroshige's originals.

Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake - Fantastic view of a sudden shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake on a late summer afternoon in Edo. A torrent of rain falls from the dark sky as people crossing the New Great Bridge rush for cover, huddling under umbrellas, a hat, and a straw mat. A lone boatman poles a raft along the Sumida River, and the opposite bank, locally known as Atake, is silhouetted in dark gray. The rain is beautifully rendered in delicate dark lines, with fine bokashi shading in the water and sky adding to the stormy mood. Hiroshige's masterwork "Sudden Shower at Atake" ranks as one of his best and most famous designs. 

Artist - Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)

Estampe ca 1970   38 x 25 cm