Fisherman in the night (title not original)
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna
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.
A lone fisherman works by night in this evocative woodblock print, the darkness around him broken only by whatever light source illuminates his labor. Night fishing scenes have a long pedigree in Japanese art, from Hiroshige's depictions of torch-lit cormorant fishing to Hasui's moonlit harbors. Arai's version places the human figure at the center of a composition dominated by shadow and water. The technical challenge of printing a predominantly dark scene — maintaining tonal variation within deep blues and blacks while preserving legible detail — required close coordination between artist, carver, and printer. The result is a print that conveys both the solitude and the practical necessity of fishing after dark.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Fisherman in the night (title not original) was created by Yoshimune Arai (荒井芳宗).
Fisherman in the night (title not original) depicts figures and night scenes.
