Herons in Snow, Ohara Shōson

Artwork Overview

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