Kawase Hasui, The Asano River in Kanazawa (Pre-Earthquake)

Notes: Series seal, left margin. S. Watanabe 6 mm seal, lower right. A stunning example, retaining all the original colors. Hasui commented: "Someone once said that Kanazawa is the 'Kyoto of the North'. In that sense I truly believe that Kanazawa has a good feel about it. I depicted Asano river and the Ume bridge enveloped in a heavy mist on a morning in early autumn. It was difficult technically to convey the mood of the row of pines and the distant wood, as well as the area where the mist drifts down towards the river-bank." - Hotei Vol. 1; pg. 54 'Hasui began working on this (Souvenirs of Travel) series in the summer of 1919, and it was completed in the autumn of the following year. Each of the sixteen images of Souvenirs was based on the sketches that Hasui had made during his travels from Sendai to Kanazawa. Hasui apparently enjoyed traveling, particularly when unplanned, and during his lifetime he journeyed extensively throughout Japan. Compared with his first landscapes of Shiobara, this work shows a refinement in Hasui's style, particularly in the use of a more delicate line and a strengthening of the lyrical quality. While Hasui is no doubt indebted to the Ukiyo-e tradition of landscape prints as seen in the works by print designers such as Utagawa Hiroshige, Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Hasui has nevertheless developed his own style in the treatment of the overall composition and in the color harmonies. As a result, this series marked an important point in Hasui's evolution as a landscape artist.' - The New Wave; pg. 142