Night is Coming
by Gen Yamanaka
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Image courtesy of
- The Verne Collection
Description
Night is Coming documents a transitional moment — dusk deepening toward darkness — making it a study in atmospheric graduation rather than a static nocturnal scene. The composition likely shows a landscape horizon, possibly derived from the rural Fukushima terrain of Yamanaka's childhood, with the sky shifting through registers of amber, violet, and deep blue as it descends from the top of the block to the earth line. This tonal progression would be achieved through meticulous multi-stage bokashi, each block inked with a different value or hue and applied with careful registration. Stars may begin to emerge in the upper register as the sky deepens.
More Prints by Gen Yamanaka
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
Night is Coming was created by Gen Yamanaka (山中現).
Night is Coming depicts landscapes and night scenes.