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Flying Geese

Flying Geese

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Utagawa Toyohiro

Toyohiro—like his more famous student Hiroshige—produced several flower and bird pictures. The simplicity of Toyohiro’s work contrasts with his student’s prolific output, often including natural and realistic depictions of flora and fauna printed in full color. The motif of flying geese, associated with their autumn migration to the marshlands, is a popular subject in Japanese art and poetry. The flying geese are most often paired with a moon since migratory flights usually take place in the evenings. This design is free of embellishments except for the faint outline of a band of clouds across the upper register. The limited use of black and shades of gray, in addition to the uneven, undulating lines, gives the print a painterly quality.
Artist
Utagawa Toyohiro
(Japanese, 1773 - 1828)
Title
Flying Geese
Date
ca. 1810-1820
Medium
Color woodcut
Dimensions
233 x 170 mm Overall
Credit
Bequest of John H. Van Vleck
Accession No.
1980.3139
Classification
Prints
Geography
Japan

Related

By 1925, purchased in Japan by Frank Lloyd Wright; ca. 1926, acquired by The Bank of Wisconsin; 1928, sold to Edward Burr Van Vleck (Madison, WI); 1943, passed through inheritance to Edward’s son, John H. Van Vleck (Madison, WI); 9 January 1980, bequeathed by John H. Van Vleck to the Elvehjem Museum of Art [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

  • Mueller, Laura. "Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School." Leiden, The Netherlands: Hotei Publishing, 2007. p. 86, no. 40

  • Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School: Chazen Museum of Art, 11/3/2007–1/6/2008

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