Summer

This print presents a summer scene—the season identified through visual cues that might include the strong contrast of midday light and shadow, figures in lightweight summer kimono or yukata, lush green foliage, or the intense blue of a clear sky. Hasui's summer compositions frequently focus on the quality of light in the warm months: the way afternoon sun bleaches open spaces while casting dense shade beneath trees, or the particular luminosity of water reflecting summer sky. Without a specific toponym in the title, the composition may emphasize a generic seasonal mood rather than a named location. The shin-hanga approach to summer typically employed warm yellows and clear blues against the white of reserved paper, allowing the washi to contribute to the sense of brightness. The work may be from an untitled or loosely grouped series of seasonal studies rather than one of Hasui's named travel or landscape series.