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Snow in the Country
by Shotei Takahashi (1871-1945) Hiroaki

Original caretaker of this artwork: artelino - Japanese prints  Art auctions of Japanese and Chinese prints

	Artist:	Shotei Takahashi (1871-1945) Hiroaki — 松亭高橋、弘明
	Title:	Snow in the Country
	Series:
	Date of first edition?:	Not set
	Publisher (first edition)?:	Shobido, Tanaka Ryozo — 尚美堂　（田中良三）
	Publisher (this edition)?:	Shobido, Tanaka Ryozo — 尚美堂　（田中良三）
	Medium (first edition):	Woodblock
	Medium (this edition):	Woodblock
	Format (first edition):	Postcard
	Format (this edition):	Postcard
	DB artwork code:	31745
	Notes (first edition)?:
	Notes (this edition)?:	The following information was taken from the original web listing of this artwork. Note that there may be some inaccuracies: Title Snowy Creek provenance: Robert O. Muller estate Artist Hiroaki Takahashi 1871-1945 Seal Artist's seal (Hiroaki) Dated Ca. 1939 or earlier. Medium/Technique Woodblock print Impression excellent - very good Colors excellent … white powder sprinkled for the snow effect Condition excellent - very good Description Postcard size print. Snowy landscape of a creek and a tall pine tree. Village houses are seen in the distance. Note "Made in Japan" stamped on the back. Width Item 4.1 inches = 10.3 cm Height Item 5.9 inches = 14.9 cm
	Artist Bio:	Takahashi Shotei was born in Tokyo with the given name of Takahashi Katsutaro. At a young age he was trained in Nihon-ga , the traditional Japanese painting style by his uncle Matsumoto Fuko, and beginning around 1907 Shotei started designing for the Watanabe Color Print Company. Shotei was among the first designers to be recruited into Watanabe's stable of artists, which would later expand to include Goyo, Shinsui, Hasui, Kasamatsu, Koson and Koitsu among others. Many Watanabe prints were designed for export, primarily to North America, where the demand for all things Japanese was high in the early 20th century. By 1923 Shotei had produced nearly 500 designs for Watanabe, when Tokyo was hit by the Great Kanto earthquake -- the worst recorded natural catastrophe in the history of Japan. The fires ignited by the earthquake raged for three days, and Watanabe's print shop and all the woodblocks created by Shotei and the other early shin hanga artists, were destroyed. After the earthquake Shotei created another 250 prints mostly depicting scenic Japanese landscapes in the shin hanga style he had helped to define. He continued to work for Watanabe, but also worked with the publishers Fusui Gabo and Shobido Tanaka, where he had more control over the finished print than was possible with Watanabe. Shotei used a variety of names, signatures and seals during his lifetime. From 1907 until 1922 he used the name Shotei, and after 1922 Hiroaki and Komei.