1857, Utagawa Hiroshige, Edo Bridge from Nihon Bridge, from the series One Hundred Famous Places in Edo -- Legion of Honor (San Francisco)
From the museum label to the series:
Utagawa Hiroshige designed the series One Hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo—referred to in its table of contents as his "grand farewell performance"—in the final years of his life, after he became a Buddhist monk. Representing culturally significant places of pleasure and respite, such as Edo's theater district (Saruwaka-machi) and a snow-covered Buddhist temple (Kinryuzan Sensoji), the series captures the spirit and appearance of Edo before it became industrialized. Following centuries-old Japanese convention, the meisho, or famous places, are each associated with a season, often determined by what time of year people traditionally visit a site, or by literary or religious significance.
This series is remarkable for its brilliant palette yet overall somber mood, possibly mirroring Hiroshige's own feelings at the time. His novel vertical format occasionally omits Western linear perspective in favor of inventive compositional motifs, demonstrated by the playful cropping of Naito, New Station at Yotsuya. He also altered actual geography for greater visual impact, as seen in Tow Boats on the Canal by the Yotsugi Road, which transforms the straight canal into a winding waterway.
1857, Utagawa Hiroshige, Edo Bridge from Nihon Bridge, from the series One Hundred Famous Places in Edo -- Legion of Honor (San Francisco)
From the museum label to the series:
Utagawa Hiroshige designed the series One Hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo—referred to in its table of contents as his "grand farewell performance"—in the final years of his life, after he became a Buddhist monk. Representing culturally significant places of pleasure and respite, such as Edo's theater district (Saruwaka-machi) and a snow-covered Buddhist temple (Kinryuzan Sensoji), the series captures the spirit and appearance of Edo before it became industrialized. Following centuries-old Japanese convention, the meisho, or famous places, are each associated with a season, often determined by what time of year people traditionally visit a site, or by literary or religious significance.
This series is remarkable for its brilliant palette yet overall somber mood, possibly mirroring Hiroshige's own feelings at the time. His novel vertical format occasionally omits Western linear perspective in favor of inventive compositional motifs, demonstrated by the playful cropping of Naito, New Station at Yotsuya. He also altered actual geography for greater visual impact, as seen in Tow Boats on the Canal by the Yotsugi Road, which transforms the straight canal into a winding waterway.