Hiroshige: Japanese Woodcut Printmaker
Andō Hiroshige, born in 1797, was a prominent Ukiyo-e artist in Edo, Japan (now known as Tokyo). Ukiyo-e, meaning “pictures of the floating world,” was a style of Japanese woodcut prints popular during the Tokugawa period (1603-1867). Ukiyo-e prints typically featured famous actors, women, and scenes from the entertainment world in Edo at the time. Hiroshige came from a lower ranking samurai family and was orphaned around the age of 12 after replacing his father as fire warden. Around age 14, Hiroshige attended the Utagawa school and was taught by Utagawa Toyohiro, a highly skilled Ukiyo-e artist. He studied the Kanō art style and the Shijō style, strongly influencing his later work. (Artists Kunisada and Kuniyoshi also attended the Utagawa school and are featured in the UW Eau Claire Permanent Art Collection).
Hiroshige, primarily focused on Japanese landscape prints, drew inspiration from popular Ukiyo-e artist Hokusai and his print series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. Hiroshige’s career took off with his print series Fifty-Three Stations of Tōkaidō as well as One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. Hiroshige’s prints stood out with his subtle use of color and bokashi (color gradation). He was also known to do multiple impressions in one spot when woodcut printing, which was a laborious process.
Woodcut printmaking has been used dating back to fifth century CE in China and provided a relatively fast way to make Ukiyo-e prints. Designs are carved into a block of wood, making a relief surface to be printed on. It is estimated that Hiroshige created roughly 5400 to 8000 prints during his lifetime, with up to 10,000 copies made from his woodblocks. Despite his extreme output of work, Hiroshige did not amass much wealth on account of his low prices and died in 1858 due to a cholera outbreak. Regardless of his wealth, he still inspired many artists, including Paul Gauguin, Monet, and Van Gogh.
