Matsue, Izumo, from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshū)

Kawase HasuiWW-1924-013250

1924·Color woodblock print·36.6 × 24.2 cm (14 3/8 × 9 1/2 in.)

<p>Kawase Hasui created three versions of this image, all from the same vantage point looking at the riverside district of the former castle town Matsue. The print here shows the new moon and an explosion of color in the sky behind dark buildings. The other versions have cloud-filled skies, one with a hazy full moon and one set on a cloudy day.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1924
Medium: Color woodblock print
Dimensions: 36.6 × 24.2 cm (14 3/8 × 9 1/2 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Kawase Hasui

Artist

Kawase Hasui

Printmaking

Kawase Hasui was a Japanese woodblock printmaker specializing in landscape and travel scenes during the early twentieth century. Working in the shin-hanga tradition, he created atmospheric compositions of rural Japan, coastal views, and seasonal phenomena using bold compositional framing and a restrained palette of blues, greens, and earth tones. His prints capture nocturnal and weather-dependent moments, emphasizing mood over topographical detail. Hasui's approach bridged Edo-period ukiyo-e conventions with modernist sensibilities of line and negative space.

Japan

Full artist profile →