The Evening Bell at Miidera (Mii no banshō), from the series "Eight Views in Omi Province (Omi hakkei no uchi)"
1837–38
Medium
Color woodblock print; ōban
Dimensions
24.2 × 36.9 cm (9 1/2 × 14 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
25242
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This design, like a number of others by Utagawa Hiroshige, is known in other versions: one printed entirely in grayish tints (as here), and one printed in a range of soft greens and browns. Normally, prints produced with a monochromatic palette are thought to have been made earlier than more colorful versions. However, a close examination of this sheet alongside others with the color scheme described above indicates that the monochromatic version of the design is probably later than the state wi...
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...