UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)

A sweeping panoramic view of the Kiso River blanketed in thick winter snow. The sparse palette of paper white, deep blue, and a soft ink tone, serve to accentuate the immensity of the snowfall in this dramatic landscape. The narrow gorge by the Kiso River is one of the most strenuous stretches of the Kisokaido Road. Hiroshige conveys the sheer scale of the rough vertiginous path through the clusters of towering mountains, with the most central peak extending beyond the frame of the composition. This print is generally believed to represent the ‘snow’ instalment of the artist’s last series concerning snow, moon and flowers (setsugekka), three acknowledged forms of natural beauty. The other two in the series are Moon at Kanazawa, and Whirlpools at Awa.

For a similar impression in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum, object no. A-10569_3233-5, go to:
https://webarchives.tnm.jp/imgsearch/show/C0020899

And also the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession no. 21.7380-2, go to:
https://collections.mfa.org/objects/489392/mountain-river-on-the-kiso-road-kisoji-no-yamakawa-from-a