<b>FIREFLIES ON THE KINU RIVER</b> / Kobayashi Kiyochika1930s<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

The Meiji period artist, Kiyochika Kobayashi is known to have bridged Edo-period Ukiyo-e with early 20th–century artistic innovation. His work synthesized western artistic traditions with a self-awareness of the rapidly changing culture that he occupied, paving the way for the Hanga movements that followed him.

In the 1930s, several reworkings of Kiyochika designs were issued by the Shima Art Company. These prints were produced with the highest quality materials available by exceedingly talented artisans. The results were striking Shin Hanga designs that demonstrated a beauty, simplicity, and nostalgia for old Japan.

 The power of this stunning design is in the depiction of the landscape’s atmosphere. The impression is saturated with thick applications of pigment in discrete areas that bring the eye to points of interest, such as the depth of the blue in the sky and the bright yellow light from the window. In contrast, the subtle yellows following from the window, as in the reflections in the water and the scattering of dots suggesting fireflies, advances an ethereal mood.

Connoisseur's Note

Robert O. Muller, the famed Shin Hanga collector, directly acquired this work from the publisher. The print was never framed nor exposed to light for prolonged periods. The print is in a pristine state of preservation and appears as fresh and vibrant as the day it was printed.