Rainfall
- Medium:
- Mokuhanga on washi
- Image courtesy of
- La Lanta Fine Art
Description
Rainfall addresses precipitation in a tropical landscape — a defining atmospheric condition of the Southeast Asian environment Kiggell inhabits. Rain in mokuhanga can be rendered through repeated fine lines carved into the woodblock, a technique with antecedents in Hiroshige's famous rain prints, though Kiggell's approach draws on direct observation rather than convention. The layered water-based washes of the printing process carry an intrinsic affinity with the subject: pigment carried in water onto an absorbent washi surface mirrors the physical process being depicted. Graduated bokashi passages model the density of rainfall across the composition, distinguishing heavy curtains from lighter mist in the middle and far distances.
More Prints by Ralph Kiggell
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rainfall was created by Ralph Kiggell.
Rainfall uses Washi, on mokuhanga on washi.
Rainfall depicts landscapes.