Japanese Print By Hiroshige Utagawa

Hiroshige Utagawa (1797-1858) 19th century Japanese color woodblock print depicting the 44th view, Tōkaidō Yokkaichi circa 1833-1834. The series “The Fifty-three Stages of the Tōkaidō Road” earned him a reputation as a master of landscape painting and travel. Tōkaidō (East Sea Road) is the most famous road of the Gokaidō (Five Roads) that connected Edo (Tokyo) to Kyotō. This journey of approximately 480 km was punctuated by fifty-three stations equipped with inns and restaurants, and which were often located near scenic sites or Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. However, if Hiroshige knew how to exalt the landscape with lyricism, some prints emphasize human activities and their share of picturesque or ridiculous situations. The scene represents a violent gust of wind on a landscape typical of this Japan of the time. A traveler is out of breath while running trying to catch his hat. Hiroshige pays keen attention to detail and was sensitive to the poetry of the cycle of the seasons. Fascinated by climatic variations, he exalts with lyricism the ephemeral beauty of the spectacle of nature and also pays tribute with humor and kindness to the travelers who had to face many meteorological hazards on their route. His entire work made him a legend throughout the world and his influence was exerted on Western art and in particular on the Impressionists who discovered his work at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1855. Van Gogh had acquired several of his prints. Print framed by a gilded wooden strip.