Herons in Snow

Ohara Shōson, artist

1877–1945

Herons in Snow, circa 1910s, Meiji period (1868–1912)

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: color woodcut

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 375 x 167 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 14 3/4 x 6 9/16 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 381 x 173 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 15 x 6 13/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in

Credit line: Gift of Fina C. Ott

Accession number: 1979.0174

Not on display

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Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"Tradition and Modernity: Japanese Art of the Early Twentieth Century," Jan-2005, Hillary Pedersen
A painter trained in the realistic Shijō manner, Ohara Shōson began designing woodblock prints in 1910. Although he did produce some war-related prints, Shōson primarily focused on bird and flower subjects. He adopted and specialized in these traditional themes when he started working with the famed shin hanga (“new print”) publisher Watanabe in 1926, and also when these elegant subjects proved to be very popular among foreign customers. In this print, the decending rhythmic formation of herons and the gently falling snowflakes emphasize the image’s vertical format.

Archive Label date unknown:
A painter trained in the realistic Shijō manner, Ohara Shōson began designing woodblock prints in 1910. In this early stage, he focused on bird-and-flower subjects, traditional themes that became his specialty when he started a life-long association with Watanabe in 1926. Herons in the Snow is an early example of his bird-and-flower style, lyrical in its simple composition but lacking in the dramatic power of his mature prints.