Japanese Print "The Suspension Bridge on the Border of Hida and Etchū Provinces" by Katsushika Hokusai
Artist:Katsushika Hokusai
Title:The Suspension Bridge on the Border of Hida and Etchū Provinces
Date:about 1833–1834
Details:More information...
Source:Worcester Art Museum
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Description:
During the Edo period (1603-1868), simple suspension bridges were often installed across Japan when it was too precarious, remote, or costly to construct permanent structures. The Suspension Bridge on the Border of Hida and Etchū Provinces conveys both the sense of danger and wonder experienced by the crossing travelers, who seem to pause briefly to admire the resplendent views. In the print, Hokusai innovatively used negative space to imply the cavernous depth of the valley below them. Characteristic of the series, the figures are diminutive compared to their surroundings, and are purposefully placed to contrast with the expansive, almost sublime, power of the natural world around them.
