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Twenty Views of Tokyo: Moon over Akabane Arakawa

Art Appreciation

Bathed in the gentle glow of a full moon reflected upon serene waters, this woodblock print captures an enchanting night scene with a tender stillness. The artist beautifully evokes a tranquil riverbank where a humble, rustic house rests under the moonlight, its modestly lit windows offering a glimpse of warm human presence amidst the cool blues of the night. A lone boat drifts quietly on the water while delicate clouds scatter across the glowing sky, their light edges delicately contrasting against deeper shadows. The composition masterfully balances horizontal elements—water, trees, and distant horizon—with vertical ones such as the house’s roof and the figure standing sentinel in red, who adds a subtle hint of narrative humanity to the scene.

Crafted with precision typical of traditional Japanese ukiyo-e, the artist employs clean, delicate lines and subtle gradations of blue color washes that conjure an immersive atmosphere of calm and quietude. The interplay of moonlight and shadow is rendered with poetic sensitivity, evoking a serene emotional resonance of solitude and contemplation. Reflective silvers and deep blues dominate the palette, anchoring the viewer's gaze in the cool tranquility of night, while the flickers of interior light and the figure’s red garment create poignant visual counterpoints. Created in 1929, this print represents not only a meticulous attention to naturalistic detail but also a sustained reverence for traditional thematic motifs of nature, human presence, and seasonal harmony in Japanese art.

Twenty Views of Tokyo: Moon over Akabane Arakawa

Hasui Kawase

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Created:

1929

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0

Dimensions:

4351 × 6402 px

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