Artwork
東海道五十三次之内 関 本陣早立|Seki, Honjin Sotatsu
東海道五十三次之内 関 本陣早立|Seki, Honjin Sotatsu is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Utagawa Hiroshige. It dates from 1834 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- JP518
- Credit line
- Rogers Fund, 1918
About this work
Overview
This woodblock print, Seki Honjin Sotatsu, is part of Utagawa Hiroshige's series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō, created around 1834. It depicts a scene from the Tokaido road's fifty-third station.
Subject & Meaning
The print shows a serene riverside scene at night, with people eating and socializing under a covered porch, while others interact near boats docked beside a wooden pier. The calm atmosphere and lively details, such as bright lanterns and patterned banners, convey a sense of daily life.
Technique & Style
Executed in ink and color on paper, the print features bold colors and simple shapes, characteristic of Hiroshige's landscape style within the ukiyo-e genre. The horizontal format is typical of the series.
Artist & collection
Artist
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.
