Review of "Hiroshige: Views of Edo Calendar 1992," the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Review of

Hiroshige: Views of Edo Calendar 1992, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Five out of five stars

 While this is a calendar for a specific year with artwork, the year has passed but the artwork remains worthy of examination. The images are woodblock prints in the distinctive Japanese style of Hiroshige. Edo is the ancient name for the city of Tokyo, so they feature aspects of that city. Not the hustle and bustle of a large population center, most of the images could be used to describe the countryside.

 Except for an image of a rainstorm, the images are of nature and people in a tranquil co-existence. The woodcut is generally an understated form of art, the colors are not strong and the few people in the images are generally going about their daily lives. This is a book of art that is easy to appreciate.