Geese at Night in Snow
- Date:
- c. 1928–1930
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
- Dimensions:
- 36.5 × 20.6 cm
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Snow and night scenes traditionally command higher prices. Key value factors: Edition order (first Watanabe/Doi printing vs. posthumous reprints) is crucial. Snow scenes, night views, and bijin-ga typically command premiums. Publisher seals and artist signatures authenticate first editions.
Wild geese fly through a night sky heavy with falling snow in this evocative ink and color woodblock print from around 1928-1930. Komori Soseki silhouettes the birds against a dark background pierced by white flakes, creating a stark contrast that conveys both the cold of winter and the endurance of the migrating flock. The composition draws on centuries of Japanese poetic association between geese and autumn travel, extended here into deep winter. [Bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradation in the sky suggests varying densities of cloud and snowfall, while the geese are printed with just enough detail to convey the strain of their wingbeats against the storm. The print captures a fleeting moment of wild movement within a vast, silent landscape.
Woodblock print
c. 1832/38
Color woodblock print; oban
Yuki no Miyajima
1929
Color woodblock print; oban
1932
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Geese at Night in Snow was created by Komori Soseki (小森漱石) in c. 1928–1930.
Geese at Night in Snow depicts snow scenes and night scenes.
Geese at Night in Snow measures 36.5 × 20.6 cm.
