Copies By Vincent Van Gogh - Copies After Utagawa Hiroshige

Copies After Utagawa Hiroshige

In the mid-19th century Japan opened itself to trade, making Japanese art available to the west. The works of Japanese print makers, Hiroshige and Hokusai greatly influenced Van Gogh, both for the beautiful subject matter and the style of flat patterns of colors, without shadow. Van Gogh collected hundreds of Japanese prints and likened the works of the great Japanese artists, like Hiroshige, to those of Rembrandt, Hals, and Vermeer. Van Gogh explored the various influences, molding them into a style that was uniquely his own. The Japanese paintings represent Van Gogh's search for serenity, which he describes in a letter to his sister during this period, "Having as much of this serenity as possible, even though one knows little – nothing – for certain, is perhaps a better remedy for all diseases than all the things that are sold at the chemist's shop."

Hiroshige, one of the last great masters of Ukiyo-e, was well known for series of prints of famous Japanese landmarks.