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Travel Notes III (Travel Souvenir Third Collection) Tazawa Lake Han-Suka Palace 1927

Art Appreciation

This captivating woodblock print immerses the viewer in a serene winter landscape beside a quiet lake, where a small wooden building rests on stilts over the water. Snowflakes gently descend, dusting the rooftops, bare trees, and pine branches with a soft white blanket, evoking a profound sense of stillness and peace. The crisp, descending snow contrasts beautifully against the rich, deep blues of the water and sky, lending the entire composition a cool, tranquil atmosphere. Delicate details—such as the intricate branches lightly dusted with snow and the placid ripples in the lake—showcase masterful craftsmanship and the artist's keen observation of nature's quiet moments. The subtle gradation of tones leads the eye through the scene—from the textured foreground to the distant, misty mountains—imbuing the work with depth and calm expansiveness.

The composition exhibits a balanced harmony typical of traditional Japanese ukiyo-e prints, where elements are placed with thoughtful spatial relationships. The small structure anchors the scene, while the slender, snow-covered trees add vertical rhythm, and the snowy ridge running horizontally guides the gaze smoothly across the print. The muted color palette, dominated by cool blues and whites with hints of warm wood tones in the building, enhances the emotional impact—transporting the viewer to a moment of quiet solitude in a winter retreat. Historically, this work reflects early 20th-century efforts to revive traditional Japanese landscape printmaking, merging naturalistic detail with aesthetic restraint. It stands as a significant testament to the enduring allure of nature's seasonal beauty in Japanese art.

Travel Notes III (Travel Souvenir Third Collection) Tazawa Lake Han-Suka Palace 1927

Hasui Kawase

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Created:

1927

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Dimensions:

6405 × 4311 px

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