However, his mother died of an illness and unexpectedly followed by his father in the same
year. Thereby, young Juemon at the age of 13 together with his two younger sisters,
started to mend for themselves.
Having first failed to join an art studio, Juemon entered another
comparable studio owned by Toyohiro at the age of 15. Recognizing the young man's talent
and strongly believing in his character (an important consideration), the master gave his
pupil the name Hiroshige. The word Hiroshige which consists of two Chinese Kanji, obtained
its first character from the master's name and the second from Juemon's own name. In the
following year Hiroshige published his first work of art, he was just 16.
The years between 1781-1800 were known as the golden age of Ukiyo-e
art. Contemporary masters of that time such as Hokusai, Utamaro and his own teacher were
competing to perfect this style of paintings. However, like their counterpart in Europe,
the arts were essentially prepared for a small audience. A small but elite audience of the
Edo society who could affort them. As such, the themes were mostly confined to the life
and story of the elite, the celebrity world, etc, while landscape genre was definitely not
in vogue.
Not until the latter Edo period between 1804-1867 which was known
as the declining period and due to an economic depression, woodblock prints and book
illustrations were mass-produced to attain an economic of scale. Ukiyo-e art was
popularized to the greater masses. Hiroshige's landscape paintings which were themed with
travelling genre and folklore were an instant success. His works on the Fifty-Three Stages
Of Tokaido for instance depicted the Edo society in general who loved to travel and make
pilgrimages. His great talent and genuine love for his native place had made this
possible. His works were always overflowed with aesthetic depiction and harmonious colour
arrangement. His contribution to the popularization of art to the Japanese masses was
greatly recognized.
According to the Chinese cosmic sexagenary cycle where life is
based on a sixty-year cycle, a man's sixtieth year is the demarcation of his life cycles.
It is then a time when he recollects his past and thinks of the future. Presumably, this
thought must have gone through his mind then. Having pursued and been successful in art,
Hiroshige finally laid down his brush and died serenely on the morning of September 6th at
the age of 62. He left behind a will and a parting poem.
|
