usedtobeljs

Yesterday, we went to the British Museum to see the Hiroshige: Artist of the Open Road exhibition, which was spectacular. It was a warm day (29C/84F) in London, but not an unpleasant walk from Charing Cross station to the museum as we could keep in the shade.

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) was a very prolific artist and the exhibition contains examples of his landscapes, natural world studies, and studies of all walks of life in Japanese society at the time.  A memorial portrait by Utagawa Kunisada.


Hiroshige was orphaned at age 12 and inherited his father's title of fire warden. A superior in the fire department taught him to paint in the Kano school style. By the 1830s he was focusing on his best-known subjects, tranquil views of famous places, city life and the natural world.  Living during the Edo period when there was urban growth, but also famine, social crisis and foreign military incursions, HIroshiga concentrated on the positive side of life at the time.

There were a LOT of examples of his work (it's a large exhibition) and so there are many photos under this cut as I adored far too many not to share.

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It was a fascinating exhibition and we enjoyed it very much.