1838
ink
paper
From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art
東海道五十三次 坂下|Saka-no-shita is a 1838 ink by Utagawa Hiroshige, a Romanticism work, depicting Landscape, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This print shows a winding road through a snowy mountain pass. Three travelers walk ahead, bundled in coats and hats, while a woman in a red sash sits on the ground near a twisted pine tree. The sky is a soft blue with a faint sunset glow, and distant hills fade into mist. The artist used quick, precise lines to show texture—like the rough bark of the trees or the snow’s uneven patches. The scene feels quiet but full of life, even in the cold. Next, look up cross-hatching to see how artists build depth with just lines.
Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川 広重) or Andō Hiroshige (安藤 広重), born Andō Tokutarō (安藤 徳太郎; 1797 – 12 October 1858), was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, considered the last great master of that tradition.
See the richer artist page
