Fishing (Senadori no zu), from the series "Dutch Perspective Pictures (Oranda uki-e)"
c. 1768
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
24.1 × 38.3 cm (9 1/2 × 15 1/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
9859
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
**Fishing (Senadori no zu), from the series "Dutch Perspective Pictures (Oranda uki-e)"** *Utagawa Toyoharu, c. 1768* Color woodblock print; oban, 24.1 × 38.3 cm. Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Asia. Utagawa Toyoharu, a pioneering ukiyo-e artist and founder of the influential Utagawa school, created this vibrant woodblock print around 1768 as part of his "Dutch Perspective Pictures" series. Depicting fishermen at work amid rippling waters, the oban-format print— a standard large size for dramatic impact—captures everyday life with a fresh twist. Toyoharu's work reflects the Edo-period fascination with the floating world (ukiyo-e), blending popular themes like fishing with innovative techniques. What sets this apart is its "Oranda uki-e" style, meaning "Dutch floating pictures." During Japan's isolation under sakoku policy, limited Dutch trade introduced Western linear perspective to artists. Toyoharu masterfully adapted this to woodblock printing, using precise lines and shading to create illusionistic depth, as if the scene floats forward from the picture plane. This fusion marked a bold evolution in Japanese printmaking, bridging Eastern traditions with European optics and influencing later masters like Hokusai. A cultural gem, it highlights 18th-century Japan's curiosity about the outside world, turning a simple fishing scene into a window on artistic exchange. Visitors will appreciate how Toyoharu's precise color layering and bold composition make the water seem alive, inviting you into this harmonious moment.
About the Artist
Utagawa Toyoharu · 1735–1814
Utagawa Toyoharu (1735–1814) holds a foundational place in the history of Japanese printmaking as the founder of the prolific and long-lived Utagawa school, which would go on to produce some of the most celebrated names in ukiyo-e, including Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi. Born in what is now Hyogo Prefecture, Toyoharu moved to Edo, where he studied under Toriyama Sekien and later explored the Kano schoo...