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Hiroshige, 'Evening Snow, Kambara' from the Series '53 Stations of the Tokaido', 1833


Although the piece is dominated by nature, my eye picks out a human element. The viewer is positioned far away from the scene, separated from the hill by what could be a large snowdrift, part of the mountain, or even some sort of avalanche of white on the left side of the print. But the three stooped figures are still visible. Hiroshige's eye for detail - look at the snow covered backs of the figures for instance - emphasise their suffering and slow movement through the harsh elements. They have been battered by nature, literally stooping under its weight. The only break in the snow is made by these figures and their tiny footprints. The crunch of fatigued feet is almost audible to the viewer as the figures make slow progress up and down this landscape. Hiroshige's use of a blue coat for the figure heading down the slope serves to highlight the sprinkles of snow on their back. None of the figures are recognisable, their faces covered, allowing the viewer to further empathise with them. The dark skies are an impending doom, seemingly heavy with another incoming snowstorm, implying a relentlessness to the winter of this landscape. 

Hiroshige was clearly a master at using woodblocks to create his final prints. Carving fine shapes out of the woodblock, the surface would have been inked and then printed onto paper. The medium is especially good for depicting snow and its limited colours, something that Hiroshige exploits here. But there is still a level of detail that shows his virtuosic capabilities. From the footsteps in the snow to the uneven circles of white falling from the heavy, grey skies, Hiroshige has managed to create some sense of movement in a mostly static landscape blanketed by white. 

Importantly, however, it is not a true landscape. The artist has created an imaginary scene, part of a series of prints that may be unrealistic, but are nonetheless extremely evocative. The scene is bleak, it is a quiet masterpiece; mankind is battling against the silent snowfall that sweeps in to cover the landscape. Hiroshige does not need rapid movements, nor does he need intense colouration or a deep sense of persepctive - nature is just as impactful without these trimmings. This was the style that Hiroshige implemented right to his death; his vision of nature with a certain degree of poetic licensing. Although an imaginary world, the print transports the viewer to that desolate place, and Hiroshige most certainly brings the imaginary to life. 

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