Snow Play
雪遊び
- Date:
- c. 1906
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print
Typical Price
Children playing in the snow is a winter counterpart to the summer Kodomo Asobi scenes, with the white landscape providing a dramatic backdrop. Snow subjects within the children's series are especially appealing for their seasonal atmosphere. Pre-earthquake editions command $1,800-$3,000+, placing snow scenes among the more valuable Kodomo Asobi designs. Posthumous editions are $500-$1,200.
Description
Snow Play (Yuki asobi), printed around 1906, shows children engaged with freshly fallen snow, likely building snow figures, throwing snowballs, or simply reveling in the transformed landscape. Shoun's color woodblock uses the white of bare paper to represent snow, the children's colored clothing and flushed faces standing out against the monochrome ground. The scene captures the particular excitement that snow brings to children, the ordinary world made strange and new by a layer of white. Small footprints, scattered snowballs, and bundled-up figures create a composition alive with the kinetic energy of play in cold weather.
