Hiroshige: Visioni dal Giappone

By

Cecilia Sandroni

Hiroshige: Visioni dal Giappone at Rome’s Scuderie del Quirinale. 1 March-29 July

The Scuderie del Quirinale presents a major exhibition dedicated to Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), one of the most influential Japanese artists of the mid-19th century. Utagawa Hiroshige was one of the most celebrated artists of the Floating World (ukiyo-e), a Master capable of bringing both landscape and nature at the centre of his world, transforming them into protagonist. His fame comes from a characteristic aesthetic as “photographic” that distinguishes his opera.

Whether that be caught under a sudden rainstorm, trekking through snow, or just simply gazing up at rows of blossomed cherry trees, Hiroshige represents both the landscape and one’s emotions perfectly.

The show features about 230 works, displayed in seven themed sections, alongside a parallel programme of Japanese cultural events.

The genre of Japanese art flourished from the 17th through to the 19th century with woodblock prints and paintings reproduced in the hundreds, with tiny detailed drawings that focused on daily life and work scenes, the faces of the artists and female beauty, and clothing, habits and fashion in Edo, modern-day Tokyo.

The Scuderie del Quirinale is stunning, the exhibition fascinating. As you walk up the winding white stairs to the second floor of the exhibition, you are welcomed by another great room.

Hiroshige’s famous landscape pieces, the Maestro’s exhibit also showcases two of the artist’s most famous series. The first series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo explores the landscapes found in Hiroshige’s hometown of Edo, modern day Tokyo. Considered to be his best work, the series was released in February of 1856 until the artist’s death in 1858.

The second well-known series The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido, instead shows the stations and the surroundings as one travels from Edo to Kyoto.

An unmissable visit. The exhibition is held with the collaboration of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the patronage of Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Japanese embassy in Rome.

For more information: https://www.scuderiequirinale.it/

Cecilia Sandroni

Cecilia Sandroni is a member of the Foreign Press in Rome, in addition to being an expert of international relations in communication. Her skills range from film to photography with a passion for human rights. Independent, creative, concrete, she has collaborated with major Italian and foreign institutions for the realization of cultural and civil projects.