Bird on pine tree
Medium
Color woodblock print; aitanzaku
Dimensions
32.1 × 11 cm (12 7/8 × 4 3/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
34403
Art Historical Context
Created in 1857 by Utagawa Hiroshige II (also known as Shigenobu), *Bird on Pine Tree* exemplifies the refined beauty of late Edo-period ukiyo-e. As a direct student and adopted son of the celebrated Hiroshige I, the younger artist carried forward the master’s lyrical approach to nature while developing his own delicate touch. This color woodblock print belongs to the aitanzaku format—a tall, narrow sheet ideally suited to vertical compositions that suggest the graceful height of a pine branch. The work captures a single bird perched among pine needles, rendered with subtle gradations of colo...
About the Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige II (Shigenobu) · 1826–1869
Utagawa Hiroshige II, born Suzuki Chinpei in 1826, was one of the most accomplished ukiyo-e artists of mid-nineteenth century Japan. He entered the studio of the celebrated landscape master Utagawa Hiroshige I — known for his iconic series "The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido" — and proved himself the most talented of the elder artist's few students. So highly regarded was the young pupil that...