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- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Waseda University
- Image courtesy of
- Waseda University
Description
An untitled print from Kobayashi Kiyochika's catalog, this work participates in his sustained engagement with the aesthetics of artificial and natural illumination as subject matter in its own right. His later prints, produced after the peak of his celebrated Tokyo series, maintain the structural priorities of kosen-ga — the organization of the composition around a light source and its effects — while sometimes incorporating more conventional figure or landscape elements. The multi-block printing process used to achieve his tonal effects required close collaboration with specialized craftsmen, and the quality of surviving impressions varies considerably depending on the care taken in printing. This print demonstrates the technique's capacity to render subtle gradations of tone through the precise application of pigment to dampened [washi](/glossary/washi) across successive block passes.