Fireworks at Ryogoku (Ryogoku hanabi), from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)"
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
35.9 × 23.9 cm (14 1/8 × 9 7/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
25601
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Lanterns glow in boats drifting on the Sumida River while fireworks explode in the clear, moonless night sky in this dramatic woodblock print. The setting is late summer or early fall, the hottest time of the year, when those who can afford it take in the cool of the evening on pleasure boats.The explosions of fireworks have just passed their peak brilliance. Their remaining light permits the viewer to make out the details of travelers crowding the bridge and buildings on the far shore.
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...