Utagawa Hiroshige

Hiroshige was a Japanese artist and master of the colour woodblock print. He was born in Edo (modern Tokyo) in 1797, as the son of a fire warden. He showed an early interest in art and became an apprentice of the ukiyo-e artist Toyohiro at the age of 15. Ukiyo-e means "pictures of the floating world" and refers to the genre of art that depicted scenes of urban life, entertainment, and landscapes in Japan. Hiroshige adopted the name Utagawa Hiroshige after completing his training and became a member of the Utagawa school of artists. Hiroshige's first works were portraits of actors and warriors, following the popular style of his time. However, he soon developed his own style and specialized in landscape prints, which were less common and more challenging to produce. He was inspired by the natural beauty of his country and the changing seasons, as well as by the works of Hokusai, another famous ukiyo-e artist who created the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. Hiroshige's most famous series include The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō, which depicted the views along the road from Edo to Kyoto; The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaidō, which showed the mountainous route from Edo to Nagoya; and One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, which portrayed the landmarks and scenery of his hometown. Hiroshige's prints were characterized by his use of perspective, atmospheric effects, and subtle colors, which created a sense of depth and mood in his compositions. He also used poetic titles and inscriptions to enhance the meaning and appeal of his prints. Hiroshige was very prolific and produced over 8,000 prints in his lifetime. He was also very popular and influential, both in Japan and abroad. His prints were exported to Europe and America, where they were admired and collected by many artists, such as Monet, Van Gogh, Whistler, and Cézanne. His prints influenced the development of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, as well as the art movements that followed. Hiroshige is widely regarded as one of the greatest masters of ukiyo-e and one of the most important figures in the history of art. Hiroshige died of cholera in 1858, at the age of 61. He was buried at Tōgaku-ji, a Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. His grave is marked by a stone monument with his posthumous Buddhist name, Kōryūin Hōkōen Kyōji. His legacy lives on in his prints, which are still admired and appreciated by people around the world.