Three Travellers before a Waterfall
Three Travellers before a Waterfall is an
Print details
- Medium: kamigata nishiki-e (上方錦絵) woodblock print; ink and colour on paper
- Format: tate-e (縦絵) vertical print; ichimai-e (一枚絵) single sheet print
- Genre: fūzokuga (風俗画) genre scene
- Japanese title: none
- Exhibit title: Three Travellers by a Waterfall
- Inscription: none
- Signature: Ryūsai Shigeharu (柳斎重春画) in bottom right corner
- Publisher's mark: none
- Publisher's seal: none
- Censor seal: none
- Date seal: none
- Credit line: none
Artist
Though Ryūsai Shigeharu (柳窗重春/柳斎重春) (1802/3–1853) was born in
Subject
In the fore- and mid-ground of the scene, three travellers, two adult males and one youth, walk along a path in the countryside against the backdrop of a waterfall. The men wear
Medium and genre
Ryūsai Shigeharu spent his most productive years in Osaka, and as such his works are categorized as
Although the "waterfall" of the print's title might suggest that the print belongs the fūkeiga (風景画) landscape genre, the focal point is the trio of travellers in the foreground. The image is related more closely to the fūzokuga (風俗画) 'genre scene' tradition. Also translated as "pictures of manners and customs," these images of common people engaged in popular activities appealed to ukiyo-e consumers through "a tremendous sense of immediacy, a feeling that he or she is right there participating in the scene."[8] During the later years of the Edo period "travel became a popular form of leisure and the pleasures of the natural environment, interesting landmarks, and the adventures encountered on a journey became a popular inspiration for Ukiyo-e landscape prints and books."[9]
Provenance
The print was donated to the ROM by Sir Edmund Walker (1848–1924), long-time president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce and first Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the ROM.[10] Walker began collecting Japanese art in the 1870s, making him one of the earliest North American collectors. He bought many pieces in New York in the 1870s and '80s, and during a trip to London in 1909.[11] In 1919, after travelling to Japan, China and Korea, he was named Honorary Consul-General of Japan for Toronto.[12]
Related works
The popularity of waterfalls within ukiyo-e design was given a distinct boost by a series of prints dating to around 1832 entitled Shokoku taki meguri (諸国瀧廻り) (A Tour of the Waterfalls of the Provinces) by the master Katsushika Hokusai. Unlike Ryūsai's design, however, the eight prints in the series all feature prominent waterfalls identified by name and belong to the landscape subgenre known as 名所絵 (meisho-e) (pictures of famous sites). Also different is the fact that in Hokusai's scenes the scale and power of the waterfall is typically emphasized by the placement of small human figures within the scene.[13]
See also
- View of Tempōzan Park in Naniwa (Gochōtei Sadamasu)- kamigata-e print in same collection
- Ryūsai Shigeharu
- Actor Arashi Rikan II as Osome (Ryūsai Shigeharu)- print in same collection by same artist
- Bust portrait of Actor Kataoka Ichizō I (Gochōtei Sadamasu II)- kamigata-e print in same collection
- Two Actors in Samurai Roles (Gosotei Hirosada) - kamigata-e print in same collection
Notes
References
- British Museum, Utagawa Kunihiro (国広歌川): Biographical details, Trustees of the British Museum, retrieved March 3, 2014
- Costume Museum, Commoner in han-gappa coat for travel, Costume Museum, retrieved May 8, 2014
- Davis, Judy Nelson (2007), "Now Appearing in Print: Osaka Actors and their Audience", in Winegrad, Dilys Pegler (ed.), Dramatic Impressions: Japanese Theatre Prints from the Gilbert Luber Collection, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, pp. 13–35, ISBN 0812219856
- JAANUS, Kamigata-e, Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System, retrieved January 16, 2014
- Japan Arts Council (2012), Jinbutsu Rireki: Ryūsai Shigeharu [人物履歴:柳斎重春] (Biography: Ryūsai Shigeharu), Bunka Digital Library, retrieved March 3, 2014
- Keyes, Roger S.; Mizushima, Keiko (1973), The Theatrical World of Osaka Prints, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, ASIN B000XY6OEY
- Kitagawa, Hiroko (2005), "Kamigata-e: The Prints of Osaka and Kyoto", in Newland, Amy Reigle (ed.), The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints, vol. 1, Amsterdam: Hotei, pp. 229–232, ISBN 9074822657
- Kodansha International, Pictures of Manners and Customs, The Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts, retrieved May 5, 2014
- Library of Congress, The Floating World of Ukiyo-e: Shadows, Dreams, and Substance, Library of Congress, retrieved May 5, 2014
- Lyon, Mike (2013), Ryusai Shigeharu, Lyon Collection of Japanese Woodblock Prints, retrieved March 2, 2014
- Newland, Amy Reigle (2005). The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints, vol. 2. Amsterdam: Hotei. ISBN 9074822657.
- Ujlaki, Peter, Biography: Shigeharu, OsakaPrints.com, retrieved March 3, 2014
- Waterhouse, David (1975). Images of Eighteenth Century Japan: Ukiyo-e Prints from the Sir Edmund Walker Collection. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum. ISBN 0888541708.
- Worcester Art Museum, "Pilgrimage to Hokusai's Waterfalls", Worcester Art Museum, retrieved May 9, 2014
- Yonemura, Ann (2002). Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection. Washington, D.C.: University of Washington. ISBN 0295982713.
External links
- Ukiyo-e.org. "Prints by Ryūsai Shigeharu".