Street Scene, Soochow in Kiang-su
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
$1,000–$12,000. Common subjects: $1,000–$3,000. Key value factors: Korean and Chinese subjects tend to be more collected than Japanese scenes.
This [oban](/glossary/oban) woodblock print captures a street scene in Soochow (Suzhou) in the Kiang-su (Jiangsu) province, one of several prints Keith produced documenting the daily life of this canal city. The street, likely one of the narrow lanes that run between Suzhou's waterways, is populated with figures engaged in the routines of commerce and social life. Keith's rendering employs [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradation to create atmospheric depth, suggesting the hazy, humid conditions typical of the Yangtze Delta region. The composition frames the street as a corridor of human activity, with architecture on either side creating a receding perspective populated by vendors, pedestrians, and the incidental details of Chinese urban life. The print is among Keith's most accomplished Chinese subjects, balancing architectural structure with the animation of human presence.
Woodblock print
1928
Color lithograph
1930
Color lithograph
1948
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Street Scene, Soochow in Kiang-su was created by Elizabeth Keith (エリザベス・キース).
Street Scene, Soochow in Kiang-su uses Bokashi, on woodblock print.
Street Scene, Soochow in Kiang-su was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Street Scene, Soochow in Kiang-su depicts urban scenes.
