Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) was one of the last great artists in the ukiyo-e tradition. Literally meaning "pictures of the floating world", ukiyo-e refers to the famous Japanese woodblock print genre that originated in the 17th century and is practically synonymous with the Western world's visual characterization of Japan. Though Hiroshige captured a variety of subjects, his greatest talent was in creating landscapes of his native Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and his most famous work was a series known as "100 Famous Views of Edo" (1856-1858). This book provides an introduction to his work and an overview of his career.Available in over 20 languages, Tachen's "Basic Art series" offers budget-minded readers quality books on the greatest artists of all time. The neat, slick format and nice price tag make "Basic Art" books perfect for collecting.Every book in the "Basic Art series" features: a detailed chronological summary of the artist's life and work, covering the cultural and historical importance of the artist; approximately 100 color illustrations with explanatory captions; and, a concise biography.

About the Author

Adele Schlombs studied sinology, East Asian art history, European art history and comparative religious studies at Cologne and Heidelberg Universities. From 1984 to 1987 she studied at Kyoto University and finished her dissertation in 1989 at Heidelberg University with Prof. Lothar Ledderose. In 1991, she took over the directorship of the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne and since then has organized numerous loan exhibitions of Japanese and Chinese art.