Light Snowfall- V1
- Date:
- Not set
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
$2,000–$20,000+. Snow and night scenes tend to command premium prices for this artist. Key value factors: Kiyokata's influence as a teacher and his connection to Edo culture make his work highly valued. Paintings far exceed print prices.
Light Snowfall presents one of the gentle snow scenes that Kaburaki Kiyokata handled with particular skill. Light snow, as opposed to heavy snowfall, transforms the world subtly rather than dramatically: it dusts surfaces, softens edges, and creates a muffled atmosphere that encourages introspection. In Kaburaki's visual vocabulary, light snowfall often serves as a backdrop for bijin figures, the white flakes accentuating the colors of kimono and the warmth of human presence against the cold. The [oban](/glossary/oban) woodblock format gives the composition space for both the figure and the atmospheric effect of falling snow, which requires careful printing to suggest individual flakes without overwhelming the rest of the image. The snow functions as both setting and metaphor, evoking transience and the beauty of passing moments.
Woodblock print
c. 1832/38
Color woodblock print; oban
Yuki no Miyajima
1929
Color woodblock print; oban
1932
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Light Snowfall- V1 was created by Kaburaki Kiyokata (鏑木清方) in Not set.
Light Snowfall- V1 was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (Not set).
Light Snowfall- V1 depicts snow scenes.
