Hiroshige
Today it's time for one of the greatest Japanese artists. Utagawa Hiroshige was one of the most important ukiyo-e artists, considered the last great master of that tradition. He is best known for his horizontal-format landscape series, The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō, and for his vertical-format landscape series, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo.
Hiroshige's death marked the beginning of a rapid decline in the ukiyo-e genre, especially in the face of the westernization that followed the Meiji Restoration of 1868. It is worth noting that the artist's work had a huge influence on western European painting towards the close of the 19th century as a part of the trend in Japonisme (learn more about this trend). Artists such as Manet and Monet collected and closely studied Hiroshige's compositions. Vincent van Gogh even went so far as to paint copies of two of Hiroshige's prints.
Despite all this context, let's take a minute and dive into this beautiful, calming landscape. When I look at it, I nearly hear the sound of trampling on snow. :)
P.S. If you love Japanese Art as much as we do, please check our 2023 Japanese Art Planner. It is beautifully printed, mostly handcrafted, with 12 examples of Japanese art with will make your 2023 full of art and beauty. :)