Hiroshige

This magnificent boxed set includes a silk- bound volume of stunning, accordion-fold, color reproductions of Hiroshige’s complete series, accompanied by a separate booklet with background and descriptions of each print.
 
 

Roughly twenty-five years after Hokusai released his series of ukiyo-e prints depicting Japan’s most recognizable symbol, Hiroshige took on the subject as well—a common practice among the era’s printmakers. This volume features reproductions of the horizontal version of Hiroshige’s woodblock series, first published in 1852, and which reveal a mature artist working at the height of his powers. In the background of each of the views Mount Fuji is featured under varying vantage points and changing lights, towering over sites of sublime beauty, often animated by a few characters living in harmony with nature. These exquisite fold-out plates are perfect for appreciating Hiroshige’s eye for composition, his nontraditional use of line, and the subtle gradations of color and mood. Viewers can also learn much about daily life and culture in 19th-century Japan through carefully applied detail and symbolism. In his introductory booklet, Jocelyn Bouquillard provides captions for each print, as well as an appreciation of the remarkable and painstaking process of woodblock printing. Packaged in an elegant slipcase, these volumes reflect the beautiful artistry and traditions that are embodied in the prints themselves.
 
 JOCELYN BOUQUILLARD is a curator at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and an expert in Japanese prints.