'Famous Places of the Eastern Capital, Fireworks at Ryogoku', Utagawa Hiroshige

The work of the artist Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) is particularly well represented in the Albert Bender Collection.

Even though Hiroshige was active in producing work from 1818 onwards, it was only in 1830 that he changed his subject matter from that of the figurative to landscape with the appearance of the ‘Famous Places in the Eastern Capital’ series.

Notoriety for Hiroshige, however, came slightly later with the production of the '53 Stations on the Tokaido' in 1833-34, which are seen as some of the greatest works in Japanese ukiyo-e. Hiroshige was highly regarded primarily for the way in which he conveyed atmospheric details, such as changing seasons through the depiction of rain, snow or wind.

His last series of prints was ‘100 Famous Views of Edo’ (1856-58), and two excellent examples from this series are on show at the Albert Bender exhibition: ‘Fireworks at Ryogoku’ and ‘Grandpa’s Teahouse in Meguro’. In ‘Fireworks at Ryogoku’ the actual texture of the wood from the woodblock involved in its printing is visible in the dark-coloured night sky.

Read more about Japanese Prints in the collection