HIROSHIGE. ONE HUNDRED FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797?1858) was one of the last great artists in the ukiyo-e tradition. Literally meaning ?pictures of the floating world,? ukiyo-e was a particular genre of art that flourished between the 17th and 19th centuries and came to characterize the Western world?s visual idea of Japan. In many ways images of hedonism, ukiyo-e scenes often represented the bright lights and attractions of Edo (modern-day Tokyo): beautiful women, actors and wrestlers, city life, and spectacular landscapes.Though he captured a variety of subjects, Hiroshige was most famous for landscapes, with a final masterpiece series known as ?One Hundred Famous Views of Edo? (1856?1858), which depicted various scenes of the city through the seasons, from bustling shopping streets to splendid cherry orchards.