Continuing
Need peace and quiet, or some "me time"? Then breathe deeply and glide over to the MIA's new Japanese print exhibition. Calm, soothing and easy on the eyes, this intimate show consists of 13 color woodblock prints created from 1834 to 1861 by the acclaimed Utagawa Hiroshige or his student/son-in-law, Utagawa Hiroshige II, interpreting eight classic themes: homing geese, returning sailboats, clearing weather, evening snow, autumn moon, night rain, evening bells and evening glow. The Eight-View tradition began during China's Song dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) with a cycle of eight poems about a scenic spot in Hunan province that inspired painters to translate those poems into imagery. Japanese artists later adapted the stratagem to indigenous sites, creating series such as Hiroshige II's Eight Views of the Sumida River, which includes the lyrical "Homing Geese at Shirahige," pictured here. With its elevated perspective and poetic planes of color, this print is contemplative bliss.
