Spring Moon, Ninomiya Beach (Haru no tsuki, Ninomiya kaigan)

Kawase HasuiWW-1932-101798

1932·Color woodblock print·39.1 × 26.7 cm (15 3/8 × 10 1/2 in.)

<p>In this print, the moon is so bright that it illuminates not only the distant clouds and the water below but also the edges of the branches and needles on the pine tree in the foreground. A lone fisherman, pole over his shoulder, walks home along the shore, although it is not clear whether he has caught anything.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1932
Medium: Color woodblock print
Dimensions: 39.1 × 26.7 cm (15 3/8 × 10 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

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