HIROSHIGE, Ando (1797-1858). Plum Blossoms at Kameido Shrine.
Original framed woodblock, from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo", printed in Japan, 1857. 630 x 460 mm. (Size including frame).
This is amongst the most impressive and sought after of all of Hiroshige's prints. It was also the first print of which Vincent Van Gogh made a painted copy.
Van Gogh studied this print in 1887 with oil on canvas. Van Gogh depicted the plum blossom from branch to branch, to understand the composition, use of colour and contouring techniques.
An impressive, but momentary scene was often depicted in Japanese woodblock prints, as its name "Ukiyo-e" (pictures of floating world) tells. This was in a way what impressionists, including Van Gogh, strived to achieve, as he said in his letter to Theo:
"I envy the Japanese the extreme clarity that everything in their work has. It's never dull, and never appears to be done too hastily. Their work is as simple as breathing, and they do a figure with a few confident strokes with the same ease as if it was as simple as buttoning your waistcoat."
(Van Gogh, September 1888).
Impressionists are popular in Japan and that may be because the Japanese see ukiyo-e in impressionist paintings in some way.
#2119648