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Born as the son of a lowly samurai in Edo (now Tokyo), Hiroshige, whose civil name was Ando Tokutaro, followed his father in the office of a fireman in a higher position. He lost his parents at the age of 12. Despite his professional position, it may have been more the adverse living conditions than an obvious talent that led the young man to become an artist. During his apprenticeship in the workshop of the printing master Utagawa Toyohiro, who gave him the name "Hiroshige" and that of his school "Utagawa", he learned from observation and acquired the skills to handle brush and drawing pencil. These were the indispensable prerequisites for creating patterns for the traditional woodblock prints. First illustrations appeared after 1818.
The spectrum of his works encompasses the themes and motifs common in Japanese woodblock prints of the 19th century: depictions of scenes of everyday life, nature and landscape, special events, and individual persons, including often graceful female figures. The publication of the series "The 53 Stations of Tokaido" is considered one of the highlights of his artistic practice. This series of 55 sheets, created between the early 1830s and 1835, shows the landscapes and people typical of him in naturalistic depiction and elegant drawing and colouring. In their coloration, form and balance of composition, they had a significant impact beyond Japan on European painting of the late 19th century.
Born as the son of a lowly samurai in Edo (now Tokyo), Hiroshige, whose civil name was Ando Tokutaro, followed his father in the office of a fireman in a higher position. He lost his parents at the age of 12. Despite his professional position, it may have been more the adverse living conditions than an obvious talent that led the young man to become an artist. During his apprenticeship in the workshop of the printing master Utagawa Toyohiro, who gave him the name "Hiroshige" and that of his school "Utagawa", he learned from observation and acquired the skills to handle brush and drawing pencil. These were the indispensable prerequisites for creating patterns for the traditional woodblock prints. First illustrations appeared after 1818.
The spectrum of his works encompasses the themes and motifs common in Japanese woodblock prints of the 19th century: depictions of scenes of everyday life, nature and landscape, special events, and individual persons, including often graceful female figures. The publication of the series "The 53 Stations of Tokaido" is considered one of the highlights of his artistic practice. This series of 55 sheets, created between the early 1830s and 1835, shows the landscapes and people typical of him in naturalistic depiction and elegant drawing and colouring. In their coloration, form and balance of composition, they had a significant impact beyond Japan on European painting of the late 19th century.