New Japanese woodblock exhibit opens today at the VMFA

The free exhibit runs through August 3rd.

April 15, 2016; 11:18 AM • by Trevor Dickerson

A new exhibit featuring Japanese woodblock prints opens today and runs through August 3rd at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

From the VMFA:

A leading printmaking artist, Kawase Hasui is known for his vivid winter landscapes. Snow at the Zojoji Temple depicts a woman holding an umbrella, walking in the snow in front of this ninth-century Buddhist temple. The Zojoji Temple was one of Hasui’s favorite subjects and he created several prints of this sacred site over the course of his career. In this 1929 version, one of twelve prints in the exhibition, Hasui used contrasting colors and the atmospheric perspective to create a snowy winter scene.

Other prints, drawn from the more than 500 works donated by René and Carolyn Balcer include Japanese landmarks such as the Heian Shrine in Kyoto, Mount Fuji near Tokyo, and the rural area in Yoshida. Seen together, they demonstrate Hasui’s remarkable skills as a printmaker and colorist as well as his extraordinary ability to capture Japan’s identity and spirit in landscapes.