Meeting Japanese masters 3: Utagawa Hiroshige.
Spring serenity
Hatched in the foreground, beautiful cherry blossoms cover Mount Tsukuba - whose bluish silhouette points to the horizon, shrouded in a trickle of pink mist - with a delicate and magical aura. At its feet, boats glide gently on the Sumida river, whose goddess is honored in a small sanctuary hidden behind the trees. In this series of the Hundred Views of Edo (1856 - 1858), Hiroshige innovates with vertical landscapes with original framing, which in Europe, will inspire Vincent van Gogh. A poetic way to immortalize the peaceful beauty of the city of Edo (present-day Tokyo), just rebuilt after a violent earthquake.
Cherry blossoms, waterfalls, and snow-capped mountains adorn landscapes of extreme refinement. Courtesans in precious kimonos comb their hair or slide on the water; a magic turtle rises from the waves. In Aix-en-Provence, the collector Georges Leskowicz unveils for the first time in France his most beautiful treasures: some 150 prints of the greatest masters of Japan, assorted objects witnessing the wonders of the Edo period (1600 - 1868)
Beaux Arts
