Given that it’s been a rainy day here, I thought a print of a rainy day would be appropriate. The Japanese ukiyo-e artists depicted weather a lot–wind, rain, snow–with sudden downpours an especially common feature. As in haiku, nature and the natural environment is very important. This print, Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi bridge and Atake, by Hiroshige, was created in 1857, as part of the famous series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. (Edo was the older name for the city of Tokyo.) Bridges were very common in Hiroshige’s prints. This particular print is one of the better known of Hiroshige’s works, and was copied in oil paints by Van Gogh (See below). I love this print like so many of the ukiyo-e scenes, because it’s very evocative–I feel like I can be in the picture.
Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake, by Hiroshige
Bridge in the Rain by Van Gogh
