Japanese Prints Kite-Flying

Utagawa Hiroshige II, also known as Ichiyûsai Shigenobu, (1826-1869) was the pupil and adopted son of the great landscape master, Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) noted for his Japanese prints. This series is considered among the strongest of his Japanese woodblock prints. It includes imagery that relies greatly on earlier designs by Utagawa Hiroshige, as well as original compositions and a frequent Western flavor. The artist's rendering of a Chinese lion on the large kite in the foreground creates a playful, almost tromp-l'oeil, effect.

Japanese Prints.