Hiroshige

by Mikhail Uspensky

If the charming "Country of the Rising Sun" were to, unfortunately, sink into the depths of the ocean due to one of the volcanic eruptions which threaten to destroy it, it would continue to live on through the magical brush of Utagawa Hiroshige. By looking at his landscapes, the light wings of imagination bring us towards a country of rain showers and twilights – a fairy scene in which rainbows fall to earth, breaking into a thousand prisms – where waters gently flow towards the horizon, scattered with daffodils.
This book offers an unforgettable walk into the heart of timeless art, which expresses the beauty of nature better than any other.

Genres: Art, Japan, Nonfiction

255 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1997

Reviews

[Roger]

I wonder if I am the only person who has actually read Hiroshige: One Hundred Views of Edo. This is full of stunning visuals-this is one instance in which I can forgive someone for just "looking at the pretty pictures." Certainly I enjoyed that aspect myself-but each print is accompanied by a page of text regarding the image in question. These were informative yet riddled with grammatical errors. Originally I was going to read this book at the rate of a page a day but my native impatience took over, so I've finished well ahead of schedule. This actually featured 118 "views" (anyone who knows me knows the first words out of my mouth: "Bonus prints!") Do not look for true to life depictions here-Hiroshige was happy to add height to a cliff or a bend to a river his goal was to capture the essence of a place.

[Ted]

A fabulous collection of woodblock prints. The colors, especially the blues, are eye catching. I liked the winter prints the best with the autumn prints a close second. And no Roger, you were not the only reviewer who read the descriptive text page that accompanied each print.

[T P Kennedy]

Most enjoyable overview of a remarkable print series. I enjoyed the essays and accompanying text. The full page reproduction of the prints ensured that justice was done to the originals.

[Eddie Willow]

A lot of great and detailed historical context with every image. Loved this included all the images in detail as well.