Artist: Ito Takashi
Medium: Original Japanese Woodblock Print
Series Title: Snow
Edition: First
Date: 1932
Publisher: S. Watanabe Color Print Co.
Reference No.: Printed to Perfection Twentieth-century - Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection
Size: 15 -1/2 x 10 -1/4 "
Condition: Very fine, with superb colors
Notes:
The composition depicts the highland basin of Kamikōchi in the Chūbu-Sangaku National Park, focusing on the Azusa River flowing through a deep snowdrift under looming peaks. The artist frames the monumental, jagged snowy mountains using trees on both sides of the image, guiding the eye into a central vanishing point. The print is highly regarded for its dreamlike, almost surreal color palette, detailed snow drifts, and tactile karazuri (embossing) technique used to give the billowy clouds a distinct three-dimensional texture.
Kamikōchi is a remote mountainous highland valley within the Hida Mountains range, in the western region of Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It has been preserved in its natural state within Chūbu-Sangaku National Park. It is designated as one of Japan's National Cultural Assets, on the list of Special Natural Monuments and Special Places of Scenic Beauty. It is sometimes referred to as the "Japanese Yosemite Valley," although it is considerably smaller than its Californian counterpart.