Pigeons
by Ohara Koson
- Date:
- c. 1900–1945
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
Description
A group of pigeons in their familiar urban setting — perhaps roosting on a ledge or pecking at grain on a courtyard floor, the most everyday of birds treated with the same formal attention that Koson brought to rare species. His pigeon prints are exercises in the beauty of the commonplace: the iridescent sheen of the neck feathers, the soft grey of the body, the alert, slightly indignant expression of the bird in repose. Produced between 1900 and 1945, this print could belong to any phase of his long career.
More Prints by Ohara Koson
Cat and Goldfish
c. 1928–1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Heron or Egret
c. 1900–1945
Woodblock print
"Snipes and Reeds," 1926 and "Wild Ducks and Pampas Grass"
Two woodblocks in colors (framed separately)
Magpie with Pink and White Magnolia Blossoms
Shōwa period, circa 1931
Woodblock print in "ōban" format; ink and color on paper
More Urban Scenes Prints
A Hundred Shades of Ink of Edo: Kiyonaga's Pipe (Edo zumi hyaku shoku: Kiyonaga no kiseru)
Woodblock print
View of Kabuki Theater from Matsuya (Ginza Matsuya yori Kabukiza), no. 3 from the series "Pictures of Ginza, First Series (Gashu Ginza dai isshu)"
1928
Color lithograph
Distant View of Mitsukoshi Movie Theater in Shinjuku from the Sixth Floor of Hoteiya (Hoteiya rokkai kara Shinjuku Mitsukoshi Musashi no kan enbo zu), no. 1 from the series "Scenery of Shinjuku (Gashu Shinjuku fukei)"
1930
Color lithograph
Spring Dusk at the Tōshō Shrine in Ueno
1948
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pigeons was created by Ohara Koson (小原古邨) in c. 1900–1945.
Pigeons was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (c. 1900–1945).
Pigeons depicts urban scenes, birds & flowers, and animals.