Sunset — 夕焼け
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
Titled Yuuyake in Japanese, this oban woodblock print depicts the warm light of a setting sun. Sunset subjects allowed Toyonari to work with the bokashi (gradated color) technique that was central to shin-hanga printmaking, building up layers of warm color from deep orange and red through gold to pale sky. The composition likely features a landscape or seascape silhouetted against the evening light, a subject that connects to centuries of Japanese artistic engagement with transient atmospheric effects. Toyonari's treatment of sunset differs from his theatrical work in its emphasis on color gradation over line. Where actor prints rely on the key-block outline, a sunset scene privileges the smooth transitions between color zones that skilled printers achieved through careful application of pigment to dampened woodblocks.
More Prints by Yamamura Toyonari
Actor Ichikawa Danshirō II as Henmi Tesshinsai
1919
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Actor Matsumoto Kōshirō VII as Sukeroku
1920
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
After Yamamura, Toyonari
Woodblock print
Dancing at the New Carlton Café in Shanghai
1924
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
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
Sunset — 夕焼け was created by Yamamura Toyonari (山村豊成).
Sunset — 夕焼け uses Bokashi, on woodblock print.
Sunset — 夕焼け was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Sunset — 夕焼け depicts landscapes and night scenes.