Macaw on ivy-covered tree
1830s
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
22.8 × 16.7 cm (9 × 6 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
56229
Art Historical Context
**Macaw on Ivy-Covered Tree** Utagawa Hirosh (1797–1858), one of Japan's most celebrated ukiyo-e masters, created this vibrant color woodblock print in the1830s. Measuring 22.8 × 16.7 cm in the chuban format, it captures a striking macaw perched amid lush, ivy-draped branches. Hiroshige, renowned for his poetic landscapes like *The Fifty-three Stations of Tōkaidō*, also excelled in *kachō-e*—depictions of birds and flowers—blending meticulous observation with evocative beauty. This artwork exemplifies the ukiyo-e tradition of the Edo period (1603–1868), when woodblock prints democratized ar...
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...