An exquisite presentation of unique sketchbooks by the great Japanese master Hiroshige Ando (1797-1858). While Hiroshige's splendid woodblock prints, in particular his Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road, are among the most widely reproduced and best-loved prints in Japanese history, his sketches have rarely been circulated or seen. The sketchbooks date from around 1840 and were created as Hiroshige traveled around Japan. They contain subject matter that ranges from serene landscapes and rural scenes to delightful renderings of interiors, historical figures, and animals. The colours are fresh, the renderings fluid, and the use of space astonishing, allowing a sort of fantasy not always possible in the harder lines of woodblock printing. Most importantly, these drawings are of enormous charm to the eye; even those unacquainted with Japanese art will find them an enchanting example of Japanese colour, design and subject matter. This one-volume edition has been printed in Japan to ensure the highest quality in reproducing the nuances of Hiroshige's masterpieces which are reproduced to size and in their original order.
- ISBN10 0486460479
- ISBN13 9780486460475
- Publish Date 31 August 2007 (first published 1 October 2001)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 10 May 2013
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Dover Publications Inc.
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 112
- Language English