Hanga
"Boston's Beacon Street" by Naoko Matsubara — Japanese Woodblock print

"Boston's Beacon Street"

by Naoko Matsubara

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Description

This print depicts the historic residential boulevard that forms the southern edge of Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, likely rendered with Matsubara's characteristically bold, deeply incised lines. Working in the sosaku-hanga tradition, she carved, printed, and published the work herself, translating an urban streetscape into a composition of strong architectural verticals and the rhythmic patterns of brownstone facades. The tree canopy along the street may appear as abstracted organic forms set against the disciplined geometry of the buildings, reflecting Matsubara's ability to find visual tension between the natural and built environments. The print documents her years in Boston during the 1960s, a period when she was enrolled at the Carnegie Institute and deeply engaged with the American urban landscape as subject matter.

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Frequently Asked Questions

"Boston's Beacon Street" was created by Naoko Matsubara (松原直子).

"Boston's Beacon Street" depicts urban scenes.