Kiyochika 小林清親 : Night Rain at Shinbashi Station (SOLD)

Artist: Kobayashi Kiyochika 小林清親 
Title: Shimbashi Station (Shinbashi Sutenshon). 
Date: 1881

Shinbashi Station. One of Tokyo’s earliest railway terminals, opened in 1872 to connect with the Yokohama station 17 miles away, is already strikingly busy in 1881. Kiyochika has chosen to depict this Western-style building at night during a rainstorm. Pedestrians leaning against the rain wield traditional umbrellas and carry lit lanterns, while a riksha driver at left solicits customers. The scene is evocative and moody, and the western building does seem a bit incongruous. The building was designed by the American R. P. Bridgens and was destroyed in the Kanto Earthquake of 1923. A rather scarce design. This work and others in this untitled series feature varying color combinations in the various blocks.

Condition: Very good impression, color and condition. Barely visible center fold.
Dimensions: ôban horizontal (23.8 x 36.6 cm)
Publisher: Fukada Kumajirô
Literature: Henry D. Smith II, “Kiyochika: Artist of Meiji Japan,” page 45, plate 41. Kobayashi Kiyochika: “A Retrospective,” page 65, plate 91 (2016); Kobayashi Kiyochika, “Studies in Light and Shadow of the Westernization of Japan,” page 54, plate 70; Kiyochika & Yasuki, “The Era of the Art Form of Painting Light and Lines,” pages 94-95, plates 110-111 (cover)(Hagi Unagami Museum 2012). See online Smithsonian, MIT Visualizing Cultures essay.
Signature: Kobayashi Kiyochika hitsu

SKU: KYC430