1853
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Sea Fortifications is a 1853 paint by Utagawa Hiroshige, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
Utagawa Hiroshige painted sea fortifications on silk using light ink strokes. The waves look choppy, like they’re about to crash into the wooden posts. Tiny figures stand near the shore, just dots against the gray-blue water. This is one of his rare silk paintings, not a print. Most artists back then made prints, but Hiroshige also painted for richer buyers. Check out more of his work at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Created with ink on silk, *Sea Fortifications* by Utagawa Hiroshige depicts anchored boats in a misty harbor scene. The artist’s red seal appears on the left side of the composition. The painting reflects the tense atmosphere of Edo Bay in 1853, following the arrival of American ships that ended Japan’s period of isolation. It was later donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum by Sydney Dorothy Aris.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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.
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