Hiroshige's Pre-Photographic Visions at Rome's Scuderie del Quirinale

The Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome hosts a major retrospective of Utagawa Hiroshige (Edo, 1797–1858), one of Japan's most influential 19th-century artists. The exhibition, divided into seven thematic sections, presents around 230 works including small polychrome woodcuts and hanging scrolls. Hiroshige pioneered asymmetrical compositions and a 'pre-photographic' technique, placing foreground elements against distant landscapes, which later inspired early Japanese photographers. He was also renowned as the 'master of rain and snow' for his meteorological depictions. The show traces his career from the 1820s through iconic series like 'The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō' (c. 1833–34) and 'The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaidō' (1834–42), alongside 'Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces' and 'One Hundred Famous Views of Edo'. It also includes naturalistic prints of flowers, birds, and fish, as well as literary and parodic themes. Hiroshige's work emerged from the ukiyo-e tradition ('pictures of the floating world'), reflecting the leisure and ephemeral values of Edo-period society during the Pax Tokugawa (1603–1868). After the Meiji Restoration, Japanese prints spread to Europe, influencing Impressionists and Post-Impressionists such as Manet, Monet, Degas, and van Gogh. Manet included a Japanese print in his 'Portrait of Émile Zola', while van Gogh featured six in 'Portrait of Père Tanguy'. The exhibition runs at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome.