Crane flying over wave
Medium
Color woodblock print; yotsugiriban
Dimensions
12.3 × 18.5 cm (4 7/8 × 7 1/4 in.)
Classification
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
47667
Art Historical Context
Utagawa Hiroshige1797–1858), a master of Japan's ukiyo-e tradition, captures fleeting beauty in *Crane Flying over Wave*, a delicate color woodblock print from the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection. Rendered in the compact yotsugiriban format—measuring just 12.3 × 18.5 cm—this intimate scene depicts a graceful crane soaring above turbulent waves, embodying Hiroshige's signature sensitivity to nature's rhythms. Hiroshige's wood technique involved skilled carvers and printers layering vibrant colors through multiple blocks, achieving subtle gradients and textures that evoke mov...
About the Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige · 1826–1869
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), born Andō Tokutarō, was the last great master of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printmaking and one of the most influential landscape artists in history. Born in Edo (modern Tokyo) into a low-ranking samurai family serving as fire wardens, Hiroshige transformed landscape printmaking into a poetic meditation on nature, weather, and everyday life. His revolutionary approac...