On the River
by Bertha Lum
- Date:
- 1912
- Medium:
- Color woodcut
- Dimensions:
- 26 × 44.8 cm
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Description
Life on the river comes into focus in this 1912 color woodcut, where Lum turns her attention to the waterways that served as arteries of transportation and commerce throughout Japan. Rivers provided Lum with subjects rich in visual interest: the interplay of boats, reflections, bridges, and riverbank activity created natural compositions full of movement and variety. Her treatment balances the descriptive — specific details of boat construction, the posture of figures poling or rowing — with the decorative, as water patterns and reflected colors become abstract elements within the print. The 1912 date places this among her most productive years, when she was creating a steady stream of color woodcuts drawn from her Japanese observations.
More Prints by Bertha Lum
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
On the River was created by Bertha Lum in 1912.
On the River depicts landscapes and rivers & lakes.
On the River measures 26 × 44.8 cm.