Plum orchard at Kameido Shrine (1)
by Ando (Utagawa) Hiroshige
(woodcut, 1857)
born 1797, Edo [now Tokyo], Japan
died Oct. 12, 1858, Edo
Profile (2)
in full Ando Hiroshige, professional names Utagawa Hiroshige and Ichiyusai Hiroshige, original name Ando Tokutaro Japanese artist, one of the last greatukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”) masters of the colour wood-block print. His genius for landscape compositions was first recognized in the West by the Impressionists and Postimpressionists. His print series “Fifty-three Stations on the Tokaido” (1833–34) is perhaps his finest achievement.
Ando Hiroshige was born in Edo (now Tokyo) and at first, like his father, was a fire warden. The prints of Hokusai are said to have first kindled in him the desire to become an artist, and he entered the studio of Utagawa Toyohiro, a renowned painter, as an apprentice. In 1812 Hiroshige took his teacher's name (a sign of graduation), signing his work Utagawa Hiroshige. His career falls roughly into three periods. From 1811 to about 1830 he created prints of traditional subjects such as young women and actors. During the next 15 years he won fame as a landscape artist, reaching a peak of success and achievement in 1833 when his masterpiece, the print series Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (scenes on the highway connecting Edo and Kyoto), was published. He maintained this high level of craftmanship in other travel series, including Celebrated Places in Japan and Sixty-nine Stations on the Kiso Highway. The work he did during the third period, the last years of his life, is sometimes of lesser quality, as he appears to have hurriedly met the demands of popularity. He died of cholera on October 12, 1858, in Edo.
With Hokusai, Hiroshige dominated the popular art of Japan in the first half of the 19th century. His work was not as bold or innovative as that of the older master, but he captured, in a poetic, gentle way that all could understand, the ordinary person's experience of the Japanese landscape as well as the varied moods of memorable places at different times. His total output was immense, some 5400 prints in all.
Technical data and
Note on the print (3)
Plum orchard at Kameido Shrine
1857 (150 Kb);
From "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo";
Woodblock print, 13 1/4 x 8 5/8 in;
The Brooklyn Museum,
USA
Hiroshige's series of prints was reprinted many times and often copied by his students. The print shown here is from the original series. The colours in later editions are not as bright and the shadows on the ground are indistinguishable. The title of the work and the artist's signature are both in red cartouches. The date stamp, the censor's seal and the publisher's mark are in the margin.
(1) This image is a courtesy of Web Museum.
(2) Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, Web Museum.
(3) Source: Rijksmuseum, Web Museum.