- 14 Mar 2002
- 21,057
- 18,913
Impending Typhoon No.10 made me choose this classical woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858):
Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake (大はしあたけの夕立 Ōhashi atake no yūdachi), 1857, part of One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (名所江戸百景 Meisho Edo Hyakkei).
The woodblock print showcases a small section of the Shin-Ōhashi bridge, which spans the Sumida River. A boatman is seen guiding his log raft towards the Fukagawa timber yards. In the distance, on the opposite bank, lies a part of Edo known as Atake, named after the Atakemaru, a government ship once moored there. The print depicts two women and four or five men crossing the bridge, seeking refuge from a sudden rain shower under hats, umbrellas, or straw capes. Sudden downpours are a common theme in ukiyo-e artwork. Hiroshige uses a technique called "white rain" to portray the heavy rainfall with numerous thin, dark, parallel lines in two directions, a challenging task in woodblock carving. The dark clouds are rendered using a graduated shading technique known as bokashi and vary considerably between prints. The rain, the people seeking shelter and the log raft in the centre of the image create a sense of movement and dynamism.
Here's Van Gogh's famous copy:
Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake (大はしあたけの夕立 Ōhashi atake no yūdachi), 1857, part of One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (名所江戸百景 Meisho Edo Hyakkei).
The woodblock print showcases a small section of the Shin-Ōhashi bridge, which spans the Sumida River. A boatman is seen guiding his log raft towards the Fukagawa timber yards. In the distance, on the opposite bank, lies a part of Edo known as Atake, named after the Atakemaru, a government ship once moored there. The print depicts two women and four or five men crossing the bridge, seeking refuge from a sudden rain shower under hats, umbrellas, or straw capes. Sudden downpours are a common theme in ukiyo-e artwork. Hiroshige uses a technique called "white rain" to portray the heavy rainfall with numerous thin, dark, parallel lines in two directions, a challenging task in woodblock carving. The dark clouds are rendered using a graduated shading technique known as bokashi and vary considerably between prints. The rain, the people seeking shelter and the log raft in the centre of the image create a sense of movement and dynamism.
Here's Van Gogh's famous copy: