The Tiger of Ryokoku by Hirokage Size:M - 50 x 70cm the historical and the contemporary

the historical and the contemporary folded into a single image

The tree peony holds a different character from its herbaceous counterpart — more architectural

placing this work in dialogue with the meditative end of modern illustration

letting the water and trees compose themselves beyond the glass

The Tiger of Ryokoku by Hirokage Size:M - 50 x 70cm the historical and the contemporaryThe Tiger of Ryokoku is classic Utagawa Hirokage a woodblock print that deflates the heroic with deadpan comic timing. Where other Utagawa masters rendered tigers with fierce authority, Hirokage's beast is wide eyed and somewhat bewildered, surrounded by the exaggerated reactions of Edo period onlookers. The flat colour planes, bold outlines, and carefully observed crowd dynamics are all characteristic of mid 19th century ukiyo e, but the humour is