Hiroshige: A Master of Japanese Art Revealed at the British Museum
A new exhibition at the British Museum in London is shedding light on the remarkable life and work of Japanese artist Hiroshige, a master of the ukiyo-e woodblock print. The show, which runs until September 7, is a comprehensive and revelatory look at the artist’s work, showcasing his wit, humanity, and innovative approach to art.
According to the Observer, the exhibition "puts Hiroshige’s humanity to the fore" and provides a unique glimpse into the artist’s mind. As noted by the Observer, "a great exhibition can change our sense of an artist’s mind for a generation – and so it is with this one." The Observer reports that the exhibition opens with a portrait of Hiroshige, created by his colleagues after his sudden death in 1858.
The Observer describes Hiroshige’s mesmerising image of a sudden shower over a Tokyo bridge, depicting rain as torrential yet mysteriously static. The print is a famous graphic feat, with a black band at the top representing both outer space and darkening rainclouds unleashing their burden. As the Observer notes, "figures dash across the bridge, trying to dodge the needle-sharp striations cut into the woodblock. One has come out without an umbrella to his name – a tiny sight gag in a vision of how it looks and feels to be caught in the rain."
The exhibition showcases Hiroshige’s work as a traveller, passing along the open roads from Edo (now Tokyo) to Kyoto, as the most popular Japanese artist of his day. His prints reveal Japanese leisure and pleasure, with figures sightseeing, wandering, and pilgrimaging. They take trips to see weirdly shaped islands, to view cherry blossom, snowfall, and the distant circumflex of Mount Fuji. As the Observer reports, "viewing was, and remains, a ceremonial end in itself. But it always feels as if Hiroshige is right there among noisy people."
The Observer highlights Hiroshige’s 1832-34 snow-viewing triptych, which is "hilarious." In the print, "careful – don’t slip! It is too cold for all this. A girl prods the snow with her parasol: how deep is it anyway?" The Observer notes that Hiroshige creates a comedy in the silence simply through body language, allowing the viewer to "hear his figures gossiping, laughing, carping at one another."
The exhibition also features a number of Hiroshige’s famous fan prints, which were once sold to urban workers for not much more than the price of a bowl of noodles. These prints are now priceless and demonstrate the democratic nature of Hiroshige’s art. As the Observer notes, "his colours remain vigorous: strong Prussian blue, newly imported from Holland, running to cobalt and turquoise, cherry-red for sunsets and dawns, forest green and glowing yellow for landscapes under hot skies."
The exhibition includes a number of works that demonstrate Hiroshige’s influence on Western artists, including Van Gogh. The Observer reports that the British Museum is displaying the very print of Hiroshige’s The Plum Garden at Kameido, 1857, owned by Van Gogh.
Throughout the exhibition, Hiroshige’s wit and exuberance shine through. His figures crack jokes, remonstrate with one another over dinner in a floating restaurant, and light pipes in the dangerous embers of a bonfire. As the Observer notes, "it’s a Japanese seaside postcard." The exhibition is a must-see for anyone interested in Japanese art, and provides a unique glimpse into the life and work of this remarkable artist.
The exhibition runs until September 7 at the British Museum, London WC1. For more information, visit the British Museum’s website.
The British Museum is displaying a number of Hiroshige’s works, including Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake, 1857, which the Observer describes as "a vision of how it looks and feels to be caught in the rain."
As noted by the Observer, "Hiroshige takes the drama of cranes circling against a pale disc of sun or birds flying up from the spume of a wave further still into the realms of depiction."
The Observer reports that "Hiroshige is broader, more exuberant and witty than one knew. Much is made of his calm and steady views in this show, but there is irrepressible energy beneath."
The exhibition showcases Hiroshige’s innovative approach to art, including his use of colour and composition. As the Observer notes, "a whole print can turn on one colour."
The Observer describes Hiroshige’s vision of nature as "robustly knowledgable" and notes that his figures "walk the roads, work the fields, pole the rivers, pass the sake."
According to the Observer, Hiroshige was a prolific artist, leaving an estimated 8,000 woodblock prints.
The exhibition provides a unique glimpse into Hiroshige’s life and work, and is a must-see for anyone interested in Japanese art.
For more information on the exhibition, visit the British Museum’s website.
