<b>RAIN ON IZUMIBASHI</b> / Takahashi Hiroaki (Shotei)1927<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

Hiroaki provides the viewer with a charming design of two figures clad with open umbrellas, to varying degrees of success, as they cross an old fashioned wooden bridge in the rain. The strongest source of light emanates from one of the figure's handheld paper lantern, as it illuminates the path and rain that lay in front of them. It is interesting to note this print is a later reworking of an earlier pre-earthquake design. Perhaps the artist, more likely the print’s publisher Watanabe, loved the motif so much that he felt compelled to reproduce it as the earthquake and the ensuing fires that engulfed Tokyo destroyed Watanabe’s shop and the vast majority of the earlier impressions left in stock. Unlike most reworkings of pre-earthquake designs, this print is more successful. The perspective is much closer to the figures, and the colors, use of light and bokashi utilized throughout the work all contribute to this design’s stronger graphic appeal.

Connoisseur's Note

The print is executed as a mitsugiri-ban composition, as evident by its relatively narrow format as compared to the conventional oban size configuration. This format was often utilized by Hiroaki, as he was quite skilled at creating compositions that were enhanced by its distinct slender and protracted shape. In this design, the narrow format accentuates the prolonged feeling of crossing a bridge amid a downpour.

This print’s condition is exceedingly fine, as it was never framed nor exposed to light for prolonged periods. The colors are in a pristine state of preservation and appear as fresh and vibrant as the day the work was executed.