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Dear Friends,
This will be the penultimate release in the introductory section
to my forum on the Great Master Art Works in the World History.
Today we show Plum orchard at Kameido Shrine,
an almost unknown masterpiece by the great nineteenth-century
Japanese print-master Ando Hiroshige, side-by-side with one of
the finest renderings ever made of it in a painting by the no
less great master of European post impressionism Vincent van
Gogh (Japonaiserie: Plum tree in Bloom [after Hiroshige],
September-October 1887.
Vincent van Gogh Foundation, Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh,
Amsterdam, the Netherlands).
In doing so, I have wished to emphasize the Eastern art
influence on the Western arts as well as provide the visitors
with a most interesting visual comparison.
As was pointed out in the last release, at a certain stage in his life,
Van Gogh became interested, like many other European artists of
his time, in Japanese master prints of the eighteen century which he reproduced
in a most approximate fashion, yet maintaining his own
characteristic style.
The
Plum orchard, which dates from 1857, was part of a series of
one hundred views of famous sights in Tokyo, a combination of
landscapes and 'ukiyo-e' tableaux, depicting scenes from
everyday life. In Japanese, 'ukiyo-e' means 'pictures of the
floating world'. Ukiyo-e is the term for prints and paintings
illustrating life in the brothel districts and theatre.
The Plum orchard became famous in Europe through Vincent
van Gogh's
rendering,
which
added a border of Chinese and Japanese fantasy letters (not
shown here. See HERE the full rendering with
fringes).
As always, good feedback is welcome. Your
posting at this forum is highly appreciated.
Thank you,
Luis Miguel Goitizolo
GREAT MASTERS OF PAINTING
(AND PRINTING)
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Plum orchard at
Kameido Shrine (1)
by
Ando (Utagawa) Hiroshige
(woodcut, 1857)
born 1797, Edo [now Tokyo], Japan
died Oct. 12, 1858, Edo
Profile (2)
in
full Ando Hiroshige, professional names Utagawa
Hiroshige and Ichiyusai Hiroshige, original name Ando
Tokutaro Japanese artist, one of the last great
ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”) masters of the
colour wood-block print. His genius for landscape compositions
was first recognized in the West by the Impressionists and
Postimpressionists. His print series
“Fifty-three Stations on the Tokaido” (1833–34) is perhaps
his finest achievement.
Ando Hiroshige was born in Edo (now Tokyo) and at first, like
his father, was a fire warden. The prints of Hokusai are said to
have first kindled in him the desire to become an artist, and he
entered the studio of Utagawa Toyohiro, a renowned painter, as
an apprentice. In 1812 Hiroshige took his teacher's name (a sign
of graduation), signing his work Utagawa Hiroshige. His career
falls roughly into three periods. From 1811 to about 1830 he
created prints of traditional subjects such as young women and
actors. During the next 15 years he won fame as a landscape
artist, reaching a peak of success and achievement in 1833 when
his masterpiece, the print series Fifty-three Stations of the
Tokaido (scenes on the highway connecting Edo and Kyoto), was
published. He maintained this high level of craftmanship in
other travel series, including Celebrated Places in Japan and
Sixty-nine Stations on the Kiso Highway. The work he did during
the third period, the last years of his life, is sometimes of
lesser quality, as he appears to have hurriedly met the demands
of popularity. He died of cholera on October 12, 1858, in Edo.
With Hokusai, Hiroshige dominated the popular art of Japan in
the first half of the 19th century. His work was not as bold or
innovative as that of the older master, but he captured, in a
poetic, gentle way that all could understand, the ordinary
person's experience of the Japanese landscape as well as the
varied moods of memorable places at different times. His total
output was immense, some 5400 prints in all.
Technical data
and
Note on the print
(3)
Plum orchard at Kameido Shrine
1857
(150 Kb);
From "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo"; Woodblock print, 13 1/4
x 8 5/8 in;
The Brooklyn Museum,
USA
Hiroshige's series of prints
was reprinted many times and often copied by his students. The
print shown here is from the original series. The colours in
later editions are not as bright and the shadows on the ground
are indistinguishable. The title of the work and the artist's
signature are both in red cartouches. The date stamp, the
censor's seal and the publisher's mark are in the margin.
See Van Gogh's Profile
here
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