Twilight Moon at the Ryogoku Bridge (Ryogoku no yoizuki), from the series "Famous Views of the Eastern Capital (Toto Meisho)"
c. 1831
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
21.8 × 35.5 cm (8 3/4 × 14 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
25417
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The early impressions of this design were printed almost entirely in shades of blue, with a subtle gradation (bokashi) from blue to white in the water. Only the pink clouds prevent the impression on the left from being an “all blue” (aizuri-e) print. Later impressions, like this one, use several other colors and now, the water is a solid blue. The design was printed with a decorative border which was has been entirely trimmed in the other print and partially trimmed in this print.
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...