Back to gallery
Snow-Covered Pines

Art Appreciation

This captivating woodblock print reveals snow-laden pine trees standing resilient amid a serene winter landscape. The snow delicately blankets the thick, sweeping branches—and the dark trunks peak through the whiteness, creating a striking contrast against the cool tones of the layered sky behind. The artist’s meticulous technique is evident in the sharp lines and subtle gradations of color, typical of the shin-hanga style, blending traditional ukiyo-e methods with a Western sense of depth and perspective. The serene color palette—an interplay of whites, blues, and touches of muted purples and browns—imbues the scene with a tranquil, almost introspective mood. One can almost hear the hush that falls over a snowy grove, the crisp air breathing quiet solitude.

Created in the late 1920s, this piece captures both the beauty and stillness of winter, a time when nature appears to pause yet displays an enduring strength. The compact composition centers on the paired pines, their forms almost dancing beneath the weight of fresh snow, framed by a subtly layered sky that suggests dusk or dawn. The harmonious balance between growling strength and gentle quietude is palpable, showing the artist’s reverence for both nature’s aesthetics and its symbolic resilience—common themes imbued in Japanese art history, particularly among woodblock masters who bridged traditional Eastern artistry with modern sensibilities. The resulting work feels both timeless and deeply evocative, inviting viewers to reflect on nature’s quiet power and delicate beauty at once.

Snow-Covered Pines

Hasui Kawase

Category:

Created:

1929

Likes:

0

Dimensions:

3756 × 5936 px

Download:

Related artworks

Rain on Tōkaidō at Hirisaka
Twenty Views of Tokyo: Ochanomizu 1926
Twenty Views of Tokyo: Ueno Kiyomizu Temple, 1928
Tokyo Twelve Views Asakusa Komagata Riverside 1919
Pacific Ocean, Awa Province
Travel Notes III (Travel Souvenir Series III) Izumo Matsue (Hazy Moon) 1924
Travel Notes III (Souvenir from Beppu) 1928
Selected Japanese Scenery: Chūson-ji Golden Hall in Hiraizumi (1935)
Travel Notes I (Tabimiyage Daiichishu) Kanazawa Ryunokaku 1920
Travel Notes III (Osaka Kōzu, 1924)
Twelve Scenes of a Child with Handball
Evening in Osaka Sōemonchō
Travel Notes III (Travel Souvenir Volume 3) Oga Peninsula Dragon Island 1926
Suruga Yui Town 1934
Forest Cape on a Snowy Evening
View of the Garden from the Western-style Mansion