color woodcut, ink, paper, 37.5x25 cm, in the margins, artisans' markings: carved by Ito Susumu, printed by Sato Keizo, embossing in a batch of snow-covered trees
The woodcut was published by the Association of Traditional Printmakers in Tokyo, respecting the traditional techniques of Japanese woodblock printing. The work is captivated by the subtlety of the hues and the delicacy of the relief visible in the depiction of snow. This gives the graphic a palpable presence and further emphasizes the quiet poeticism of the scene. The scenery depicted here no longer exists in reality; all three buildings have been replaced by new ones. We are standing under the former Kaminari-mon gate (much larger than the current one) and looking along the row of stores toward Nio-mon, or "gate," which has been replaced by "Hozo-mon." And the pagoda - seen here on the right - was rebuilt on the left after the war.
Hiroshige Andō, also known as Hiroshige Utagawa, is one of Japan's best-known painters and printmakers. His father, Andō Genuemon, was a low-ranking samurai and fire brigade officer. From the age of sixteen, Hiroshige studied in the studio of Utagawa Toyohira, under whose tutelage he developed his skills and talent. Young Hiroshige soaked up the artistic atmosphere while helping in the daily life of his father's brigade. It wasn't until he was 27 that he fully decided to follow the path of artistic creation. After his teacher's death in 1822, he was offered to take over the studio after his master, but Hiroshige declined the offer and set his sights on independence. Hiroshige's artistic output has not been fully catalogued to this day, but it is estimated that some 5,000 works were created, primarily in the color woodcut technique. He began his career with portraits of beautiful women (bijin-ga) and images of kabuki actors (yakusha-e), but after the death of his teacher he focused primarily on native landscapes. Hiroshige came from a samurai family, however, he identified with bourgeois Edo culture. He became primarily known as the creator of landscape series such as Fifty-three Stations on the TōkaidōRoad (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi no uchi), One Hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei) and Sixty-nine Stations on the Kisokaidō Road (Kisokaidō rokujūkyū tsugi no uchi). He masterfully depicted the landscape at different times of the year and day, and was interested in weather phenomena. He experimented with effects and composition and used unconventional shortcuts. A unique element in his works is the depiction of atmospheric phenomena such as snowfall or rainfall, as well as gales and storms. On the other hand, he was interested in the phenomenon of shadow and its effect both in the landscape and domestic interiors.
