Utagawa Hiroshige

Utagawa Hiroshige was the master of ukiyo-e landscape prints, renowned for his poetic and atmospheric depictions of 19th-century Japan. His style is characterized by:

• Evocative Atmosphere: Capturing the mood of a scene through weather, time of day, and seasonal changes. He excelled at depicting rain, snow, mist, and moonlight.
• Simplified Forms & Flattened Perspective: While incorporating Western perspective to some extent, he favored stylized forms and a flattened picture plane to create a sense of pattern and design.
• Vibrant Color Palettes: Employing bold and harmonious colors to enhance the emotional impact of his prints.
• Everyday Life: Focusing on the experiences of ordinary people as they travel, work, and interact with their surroundings.
• Series of Prints: Creating multiple prints that follow a theme such as a location, weather condition or time of year.

To remember his style, think "Hiro-SHIGE" like "Hiro"ic scenes "SHIGE"d with atmospheric light and shadows.