Snowy Gorge
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
28 3/4 x 9 1/2 in. (73 x 24.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Francis M. Weld, 1948
Accession Number
JP3135
Tags
Art Historical Context
Utagawa Hiroshige (7–1858), a master of ukiyo-e woodblock prints, captures the serene yet dramatic beauty of nature in *Snowy Gorge This vertical-format print depicts a rugged mountain gorge blanketed in snow, with boats navigating a winding river below—evoking the precarious harmony between humans and the untamed winter landscape. Hiroshige's signature style shines through in his masterful use of color gradients and atmospheric perspective, transforming a simple scene into a poetic meditation on transience, a core theme in Japanese art. Created during Japan's Edo period (1615–1868), when woo...
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...