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Hiroshige (Artist); Eisen (Co-Artist) & Izzard, Sebastian (Author) : Hiroshige Eisen: The Sixty-nine Stations Of The Kisokaido

George Braziller, New York City, NY, 2008

ISBN 0807615935

First Edition / First Printing. As New in As New Dust Jacket. 160 pages. Facsimile Edition of the finest surviving manuscript, with accompanying text in English. One of the greatest books on Japanese art ever published in our time. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. A brilliant production by George Braziller: Oversize-volume format. Orange cloth boards with metallic-silver titles embossed on spine, as issued. Art by Hiroshige and Eisen. Text by Sebastian Izzard. Printed on pristine-white, thick uncoated stock paper to the highest standards. In pictorial DJ with titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Presents Hiroshige's and Eisen's "The Sixty-Nine Stations of The Kisokaido". One of the greatest sequences in the ukiyo-e tradition: A series of prints on the Kisokaido, the highway connecting Edo and Kyoto, and its sixty-nine post stations, where travellers could admire the scenery, eat, shop, stay overnight, and be entertained. They capture the look and spirit of each station, creating a "tour de force of artistic vision and printmaking craftsmanship" (Sebastian Izzard). Hiroshige is now regarded as one of the two greatest wood-block printmakers (the other being Hokusai, his predecessor). Ukiyo-e, which literally means "pictures of the floating world", was the art of the common people. It was not folk or primitive art nor was it royal court art, either. Like the photograph today, it could be infinitely reproduced as public demand dictated, and typically presented Japanese life and rituals, scenery and the four seasons, iconic portraits, and breathtaking natural landscapes. Perhaps the best term for it is "artisanal", as it depended on the mastery of one's craft (rather than "concept" or "vision"). Very little is known about ukiyo-e precisely because it was not considered serious art, and most of the work was therefore not preserved or archived. That it flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries is pretty much what we know. Westerners were awed, moved, and for once, humbled by what they saw: Great art of the most exquisite and delicate kind, dazzling virtuosity melded to a master craftsman's innate apprehension of The Beautiful. Like all true art, it will transport you to another temporal reality, where you will wish you could stay forever. An absolute "must-have" title for Hiroshige, Eisen, and art book collectors. This title is an art book classic. This is one of few copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a pristine beauty. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws, are subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A scarce copy thus. 71 color plates. Two of the greatest artists of all time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER HIROSHIGE TITLE IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0807615935.

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