Recently "Chronicle" featured a NH artist who created a series of woodblock prints inspired by the style of the well-known Japanese printer, Hiroshige (1797-1858), probably best known for his series of prints based upon different views of Mt. Fuji. His representations of waves and water are also quite familiar.I have always been drawn to Hiroshige's prints. There's something about the layering of woodblock prints that fascinates me. I admire the ability to see a finished work broken down into its layered components. I don't have a brain capable of that type of thinking, but admire those who do. His use of color also draws my interest. The range of blues can keep me looking at a print for ages. I also like his contrast of blues with browns. I remember as a child I would wear those two colors together and be teased for it. But I always liked them together.
A third fascination in his work is the opportunity to look into a world far different from my own... not only in time, but in culture (East vs West). His prints, therefore, hold my interest on several levels. I've posted a few for you to enjoy and recommend borrowing a book of his work the next time you go to the Library. Perhaps you'll find the prints as mesmerizing as I do. Here is a reasonably priced volume of his famous work, ""100 Views of Edo".
