Night Rain at Kiritoshi, Takahashi Shōtei

Exhibition Label:
"Tradition and Modernity: Japanese Art of the Early Twentieth Century," Jan-2005, Hillary Pedersen
Also known as Takahashi Hiroaki, this Tokyo-based artist had a prolific career as an illustrator for scientific textbooks, magazines and newspapers. Not until 1907 did he begin his exploration of the print format, capitalizing on the demand for prints in Europe and the United States.
In contrast to the light-hearted mood often associated with eighteenth and nineteenth century images of Japan’s famed pleasure quarters, this twentieth century print imparts a strong sense of nostalgia. Instead of presenting an idealized version of an entertainment house, as would have been done in previous eras, the artist has presents a more somber view of the house with heavy rain, two straining workers in the foreground, and a solitary woman descending the stairs.

Archive Label date unknown:
The publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō hired Takahashi Hiroaki as his first artistic collaborator in the creation of shin hanga. This print represents an early effort to develop a New Print style. Modest in scale and quietly atmospheric, the print harkens back to the rainy landscapes of the ukiyo-e master Andō Hiroshige (1797-1858). However, it introduces new, more Western elements in the subtle combination of blues and grays punctuated by the yellow glow of lamps piercing the rainy night.