Vincent van Gogh’s admiration for the Japanese master of landscape art, Utagawa Hiroshige, will take centre stage in a new exhibition at the British Museum.
The exhibition will explore how Hiroshige’s vivid, detailed prints shaped Van Gogh’s own artistic style. Among the highlights will be Van Gogh’s personal copy of a Hiroshige print, which directly inspired one of his paintings. This rare piece offers a unique glimpse into the Dutch artist’s deep engagement with Japanese art and the role it played in his creative evolution.
Van Gogh famously collected Japanese prints during his time in Paris, viewing them as windows into a pure, natural world untouched by the pressures of Western industrialization. His fascination with Hiroshige’s work, particularly its bold use of colour and striking compositions, had a lasting influence on his most celebrated pieces.
The British Museum’s exhibition promises to shed fresh light on the global influences that helped define one of history’s most iconic painters.
0 Comments