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Spring Snow at Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto

Art Appreciation

This evocative artwork captures the quiet majesty of a snowy evening at the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. Delicately detailed, the temple’s wooden structure is blanketed in thick snow, its cascading rooftops and tiered pagoda rendered with soft, flowing lines that emphasize harmony and balance. The deep indigo sky, speckled with countless snowflakes, envelops the scene in a tranquil hush. Two figures serenely stand on the wooden veranda, one cloaked in red and the other in blue, sharing an umbrella, their presence adding a subtle human warmth to the otherwise serene winter landscape.

The artist employs traditional ukiyo-e woodblock print techniques, evident in the use of graceful contours and flat but richly textured color planes. The limited color palette—dominated by cool blues, whites, and muted blacks—amplifies the cold, ethereal mood, while the tiny, scattered snowflakes bring life and movement to the composition. This work beautifully balances a sense of stillness and motion, nostalgia and immediacy. Historically, it reflects the timeless spirit of Japanese woodblock prints from the shin-hanga movement, bridging classical Japanese aesthetics with a modern sensitivity for light and atmosphere.

Spring Snow at Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto

Hasui Kawase

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Date unknown

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843 × 1246 px

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