Scheduled Exibit Tokaido Highway Hoeido Edition and the 53 Famous Sights Series
Exhibit Period
Part 1: June 8 (Fri) to July 8, 2007 (Sun)
Part 2: July 12 (Thurs) to August 19, 2007 (Sun)
Exhibit Times
9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
(last admissions at 4:30 p.m.)
Museum closed
Closed Mondays, but open on national holiday July 16.
Admission Fee
Adults: 500 (450) yen; High School, College Students: 300 (270) yen Elementary, Junior High School Students: 100 (90) yen * Fees in parentheses are group rates for 20 or more patrons * Free admission for patrons aged 70 years and over, and preschoolers * Half-price for patrons with accessibility and special needs, and for one accompanying caregiver
Overview
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) produced more than twenty series in a forty-year period featuring sights along the Tokaido Highway. We introduce works from two periods of his life. The first came out of his aggressive, overflowing-with-ambition early years: The Fifty-Three Stations of Tokaido Series (commonly known as the Tokaido Highway Hoeido Edition). The second, The Fifty-Three Famous Sights Series (commonly known as Tate-e Tokaido), produced with the skill of a seasoned master, came towards the end of his career after he obtained success as an ukiyo-e artist.
Hiroshige first took on the Tokaido series project circa 1833 at the age of thirty-seven. This Fifty-Three Stations of Tokaido Series attracted more public attention than any other by artists who had previously produced Tokaido art. His artwork depicts center-stage travelers on the Tokaido in such a way that the person looking at the artwork becomes one journeying along in the picture. With this project, Hiroshige paved the way for ukiyo-e famous places artists.
The second set of works was produced in 1855 at the age of fifty-nine. It is called The Fifty-Three Famous Sights Series and came twenty-two years after the Tokaido Hoeido Edition. For Hiroshige, this was his final series on the Tokaido Highway. A unique feature to this project is the realistic depiction of placid scenes encompassing the entire landscape from near to far, composed with a sort of aerial view.
This exhibit endeavors to contrast a series from Hiroshige’s early career and one from the concluding years of his life. We welcome you to discover the evolution of Hiroshige’s art skill and techniques.
Museum Talk
Presented by one of our curators on the following Saturdays:
June 9, June 23, July 14, and July 28, 2007.
All talks start at 1:30 p.m.
Payment of museum admission fee is required.