Unit 5 contextual Studies

Utagawa Hiroshige also named Andō Hiroshige was born 1797 and died on the 12 October 1858. He was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, Andō Hiroshige was well known for his print “Evening Shower on the Great Bridge and Atake” that he did in 1857 his painting was done under the movement of post impressionism which is more about the blurred look of naturalism with the line that go over the top of the painting that give I small blind sight to the landscape overall making the eye only focus on the colors.

Post impressionism.

“Breaking free of the naturalism of Impressionism in the late 1880s, a group of young painters sought independent artistic styles for expressing emotions rather than simply optical impressions, concentrating on themes of deeper symbolism. Through the use of simplified colors and definitive forms, their art was characterized by a renewed aesthetic sense as well as abstract tendencies. Among the nascent generation of artists responding to Impressionism, Paul Gauguin (1848–1903), Georges Seurat (1859–1891), Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), and the eldest of the group, Paul Cézanne (1839–1906), followed diverse stylistic paths in search of authentic intellectual and artistic achievements”. (quote: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/poim/hd_poim.htm)

Around the same time that Hiroshige did this painting there was many wars going on in japan there was the civil war in 1862- 1868 and there was also the war with Britain, France, and the Dutch in 1862- 1865. This makes me think that Hiroshige only painted this painting in the movement post-impressionism because at the time there was no beautiful nature to put into his painting hence why post-impressionism helps because it blurs it slightly so you cannot really see what is going on in that present moment in time or he doesn't want to preserve that memory for people, I have this theory not only because of the historical facts but because of the dull colors that he has used to paint his image as well.

Later into the early 19^th century Van Gogh did his own transcript of  Andō Hiroshige’s painting “Evening Shower on the Great Bridge and Atake” but he entitled it “The bridge in the rain” Van Gogh does the exact same landscape painting but changes the color scheme making it brighter and stand out more to the eye. Overall I would have to say that I prefer the original painting compared to Van Gogh’s transcript only because Hiroshige has depth to his and historical meaning behind it whereas Van Gogh’s to me looks like he took a sad meaning full painting and made it brighter to change the mood.