Icy River
by Takao Sano
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Image courtesy of
- Ukiyo-e Search
Description
This print depicts a winter river scene, likely featuring a partially frozen waterway with exposed moving water cutting through ice-edged banks or snow-covered terrain. Cold-season river subjects were common in twentieth-century Japanese woodblock printmaking, allowing artists to exploit the contrast between still, pale ice formations and darker flowing water. Sano likely employed a restrained palette of blue-grays, whites, and black to render this stillness, with bokashi gradation conveying the diffuse light of overcast winter skies. The flatness typical of woodblock printing suits such subjects well, translating the horizontal sweep of a frozen landscape into controlled planes of tone and color on washi.
More Prints by Takao Sano
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
Icy River was created by Takao Sano (佐野隆男).
Icy River depicts landscapes.