Untitled
by Kawase Hasui
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Hara Shobo
- Image courtesy of
- Hara Shobo
Description
A [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) landscape print by Kawase Hasui, possibly depicting a snow scene at a rural village or roadside setting. Snow was among Hasui's most celebrated subjects, and he produced a large number of winter prints throughout his career, ranging from early Taishō-period work to technically refined snow compositions of his mature Shōwa output. Accumulated snow on thatched rooftops, the even whiteness of a snow-covered field broken only by dark lines of fencing or bare branches, and the pale grey-blue of overcast winter sky are recurring elements in these compositions. The printer's task in such prints involves restraint: large areas of near-white [washi](/glossary/washi) are left with minimal pigment, while subtle grey [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations model the sky and the shadows of snowdrifts. The effect of compressed silence characteristic of heavy snowfall is communicated through compositional simplicity and chromatic economy.

![[abstract composition with diagonal woodgrain] by Gen Yamaguchi](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/135949.jpg)