Shimabara Snow
- Date:
- 1977
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; edition 70/100
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Typical Price
- Iconic Kyoto rooftop scene in excellent condition: $1,500–$3,500
- Good condition rooftop composition: $600–$1,800
- Standard edition impression (~100): $300–$800
Description
Shimabara — the oldest licensed entertainment district in Kyoto, dating to the early seventeenth century — is Karhu's subject in this snow print from 1977, edition 70 of 100. The district's ochre walls and wooden gates, normally warm and closed under any light, are here transformed by snow into something more austere and isolated. Karhu's Shimabara Snow is among his most striking winter compositions, the cold white of the snow working against the warm color memory of the buildings' usual appearance to create a tension that is the print's central drama.
More Prints by Clifton Karhu
More Snow Scenes Prints
Fair Weather After Snow at Yamato Bridge, Kyoto (Yamato bashi no yukibare), Taishô period, dated 1924
Woodblock print
The Compound of the Tenman Shrine at Kameido in the Snow (Kameido Tenmangu keidai no yuki), from the series "Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto meisho)"
c. 1832/38
Color woodblock print; oban
Miyajima in Snow (Yuki no Miyajima)
Yuki no Miyajima
1929
Color woodblock print; oban
Evening Snow at Shiha Park, Tokyo
1932
Woodblock print
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shimabara Snow was created by Clifton Karhu in 1977.
Shimabara Snow depicts snow scenes.