Continued from the blog I
SUZUKI Harunobu (1725?～1770), "Woman Admiring Plum Blossoms at Night", woodblock print in 1766
Harunobu depicted a girl holding a paper lantern to admire the white plum blossoms in the darkness. The solid black background gives the image of strong impression in ukiyo-e. The black as color influenced western-style prints or lithography (リトグラフ).
UTAGAWA Kuniyoshi (1797～1861)、"The Ancient Palace of Soma (Mitsukuni and the Monster Skeleton), woodblock print in 1845
At first sight viewers will surely get enormous impact on skeleton emerging from the darkness. Kuniyoshi depicted a scene from an illustrated fiction, which was filled with a sense of tension and disquiet.
Ostroumova-Lebedeva, Anna Petrovna (1871～1955), "Iron Fence and Trees" Color Woodcut on paper printed in 1905
She produced many woodcut prints featuring highly lyrical atmosphere and picturesque silhouettes.
This print is housed in The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Russia.
UTAGAWA Hiroshige (1797～1858), "Inside Kameido Tenjin Shrine," from the series One Hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei), woodblock print in 1856
The clusters of wisteria blossoms and the trellis posts appeared prominently in the foreground, and you'll see the drum bridge of Kameido Tenjin Shrine beyond and further more people resting under a wisteria arbor.
This image has been identified as having influenced Claude MONET. He painted great works of the series entitled 'Water Liles'
Falileev, Vadim Dmitrievich (1879～1950) "Mowers" Color woodcut on paper in 1905
Falileev became so much interested in the art of Felix Vallotton that he began to produce woodcut printings. Felix was the first overseas artist that incorporated (組み入れた) Japonisme into the woodcut prints.
This print is housed in The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Russia.
UTAGAWA Hiroshige (1797～1858) "Shower in Shono" from the series Fifty-three Post Stations of the Tokaido (Tokaido gojusantsugi no uchi), Color woodblock print in 1834-36
Hiroshige depicted the moment people walking in a hurry under a sudden rain. The gradations of color, from the clusters of bamboos in the foreground to the hazy grove, and additional block of pale ink for the rain created a sense of depth. Each motif in this print is together in this well-considered composition.
Ostroumova-Lebedeva, Anna Petrovna (1871～1955), "Letniisad (Summer Garden), Woodcut print on paper in 1902
Since she was much attracted by the magnificent and timeless appearance of Saint Petersburg, she produced woodcut prints featuring tree-lined avenues, riverside promenades, and so on.
Letniisad (Summer Garden) is the garden which Peter the Great (1672-1725) had produced.
This print is housed in The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Russia.
To be continued to blog III
This exhibition is on view from Jan. 12 to Mar. 6
Open: 10:00～18:00 (～20:00 on Fridays & Saturdays)
Admission: 1500yen for adults, 800yen for college students, Free for elementary school children and high school students (half the admission fee for the admission after 18:00)
More about Chiba City Museum of Art: please access https://www.tokyo2020chiba.com/post/shall-we-see-the-museums