{"product_id":"ando-hiroshige-japanese-art-old-masters-print-view-from-massaki","title":"Andō Hiroshige, Japanese Art, Old Masters Print : View From Massaki","description":"\u003ch2\u003eHiroshige View From Massaki Print\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eView From Massaki\u003c\/strong\u003e is one of Hiroshige's most sophisticated experiments with framing and viewpoint. Created in 1857 for his late masterpiece \u003cem\u003eOne Hundred Famous Views of Edo\u003c\/em\u003e, the design looks from the interior of a riverside teahouse across the Sumida River towards Suijin Shrine, the Uchigawa Inlet and the distant landscape around Sekiya.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRather than offering a conventional uninterrupted panorama, Hiroshige makes the architecture of the room part of the artwork. The curved window and vertical edge of the shoji screen frame the landscape beyond, transforming an everyday view into an unexpectedly modern composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eA View Through the Teahouse Window\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe viewer appears to be seated inside one of the teahouses for which the Massaki district was known.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOnly fragments of the interior are visible. A hanging flower holder and the geometric structure of the window establish the immediate foreground, while the eye moves outward towards trees, river, settlement and distant Mount Tsukuba.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe contrast between intimate interior space and expansive landscape is central to the design. Hiroshige simultaneously makes us aware of where we are sitting and how far we can see.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eHiroshige's Artistic Style\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe radical cropping of \u003cem\u003eView From Massaki\u003c\/em\u003e is characteristic of Hiroshige's late Edo views.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe half-circle window, upright shoji and rectangular divisions create an almost abstract geometric framework. Against this structure, the natural landscape appears soft and atmospheric.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis combination of strong foreground cropping and distant landscape became one of the features that European artists later admired in Japanese prints.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eOne Hundred Famous Views of Edo\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOne Hundred Famous Views of Edo\u003c\/em\u003e was produced during the final years of Hiroshige's life and contains some of his boldest compositions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRather than simply documenting landmarks, the series explores how residents experienced Edo: through windows, beneath bridges, between trees, during rain, in snow and at different times of day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eView From Massaki\u003c\/em\u003e is an outstanding example because the act of looking becomes part of the subject itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAndō Hiroshige Biography\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUtagawa Hiroshige\u003c\/strong\u003e was born in Edo in 1797. After training within the Utagawa school, he became celebrated for landscape printmaking and established his reputation with \u003cem\u003eThe Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout his career he returned repeatedly to roads, rivers, famous places and the changing appearance of Edo. His late work became increasingly adventurous in composition, often using dramatic foreground objects and unconventional cropping.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHiroshige died in 1858, shortly after producing many of the designs now regarded as his greatest achievements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eView From Massaki in Modern Interiors\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe vertical format and strong architectural framing make this print particularly effective in hallways, reading areas, studies and beside console tables.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts blend of geometry, muted colour and calm landscape also suits minimalist, Japandi and Scandinavian interiors extremely well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhen did Hiroshige create View From Massaki?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe print dates from 1857.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhich series does it belong to?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is part of Hiroshige's celebrated late series \u003cem\u003eOne Hundred Famous Views of Edo\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat is visible in the distance?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe view extends across the Sumida River towards Suijin Shrine, the Uchigawa Inlet and the landscape around Sekiya, with Mount Tsukuba beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy is the window so important to the composition?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHiroshige uses the curved window and shoji screen as a geometric frame, creating a picture within the picture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat interiors suit View From Massaki?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts vertical shape and restrained design work particularly well in Japanese-inspired, minimalist, Scandinavian and Japandi spaces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Japanese Prints","offers":[{"title":"6x9 inches","offer_id":24595485061,"sku":"","price":17.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"8x12 inches","offer_id":24595485125,"sku":"","price":22.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x18 inches","offer_id":24595485189,"sku":"","price":39.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x24 inches","offer_id":24595485317,"sku":"","price":45.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"20x30 inches","offer_id":24595485381,"sku":"","price":53.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x36 inches","offer_id":24595485445,"sku":"","price":63.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"canvas 8x12 inches","offer_id":24595485509,"sku":"","price":70.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"canvas 16x24 inches","offer_id":24595485573,"sku":"","price":184.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"canvas 20x30 inches","offer_id":24595485637,"sku":"","price":212.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/3209\/files\/100_views_edo_036_18x12_wm.jpg?v=1784106126","url":"https:\/\/gallerythane.com\/en-eu\/products\/ando-hiroshige-japanese-art-old-masters-print-view-from-massaki","provider":"GalleryThane","version":"1.0","type":"link"}