Focus on Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake and explore the Influence.
Some of Hiroshige's most popular prints were produced in the tens of thousands at a low individual cost and due to the opening up of Japan after 1853 were popular both in Japan and Europe where they had a huge influence on the future Impressionist artists. Whistler produced a number of prints and paintings using a bridge motif in London in the 1870s that were heavily influenced in their composition and subject by Hiroshige's many bridge prints. He used for example non-Western composition in the siting of the bridges, sometimes using no detailed foreground or background objects, scurrying undetailed people on the bridges, large area of negative space and the odd boat on the river. The theme of scurrying people sheltering from the weather under umbrellas that is typical of One Hundred Views of Edo was an influence on Félix Buhot's Le Petit Enterrement and Hiroshige's high horizons, areas of blue wash and strong foreground imagery with lack of middle ground influenced Auguste-Louis Lepère's prints such as La Convalescente: Madame Lepère.
Vincent van Gogh was a major collector of Japanese prints, decorating his studio with them. He was heavily influenced by these prints, particularly Hiroshige, and made copies of two from the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, Plum Park in Kameido and this one. He made these copies in order to try out for himself elements he admired such as the cropped composition, blocks of colour with strong outlines and diagonal elements.
Van Gogh's painting used brighter colours with greater contrast than the original, conspicuous brushstrokes rather than areas of flat colour, and was also framed with a selection of Van Gogh's approximations to Japanese characters.Hiroshige's print was listed by The Observer's art critic Laura Cumming as one of the 10 best skies in art.The composer Geoffrey Poole produced the work Crossing Ohashi Bridge for the Goldberg Ensemble and named after Hiroshige's print.
opening up of Japan Edo Goldberg Ensemble Whistler right huge influence Hiroshige One Hundred Famous Views of Edo negative space Geoffrey Poole Impressionist Plum Park in Kameido composition Auguste-Louis Lepère He was heavily influenced by these prints The Observer Vincent van Gogh Félix Buhot