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- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Waseda University
- Image courtesy of
- Waseda University
Description
An untitled print from Kiyochika's output, this work likely depicts a scene from the Tokyo metropolitan area rendered through his characteristic synthesis of Japanese woodblock conventions and Western optical effects. His fire prints — depictions of the large conflagrations that periodically swept Meiji Tokyo — represent one of the most dramatic applications of his kosen-ga technique, with the intense warm glow of the blaze set against a dark or smoke-filled sky. Whether this print depicts fire, lamplight, moonlight, or daylight conditions, the compositional logic will center on the behavior of light as it reflects from, illuminates, or is absorbed by the surfaces of the urban environment. The technical execution relies on the close cooperation of the artisanal print studio.