Winter Blossom

Japan is magical in every season, but personally my favorite time of year is winter. In Tokyo, winters are quite warm compared to Europe. The sun feels warmer and appears to be closer to earth, and this creates a calm and joyful atmosphere. In December there are festive lights hanging in city streets, producing a cheerful and romantic ambiance. Outside Tokyo, Japan in winter is a country of breathtaking snow landscapes. Skiing and snowboarding in Hokkaido and Hakuba are unforgettable adventures. Especially Hokkaido offers powder snow experiences that are exceptional. Tree skiing between the magical “snow monster” trees is a mystical and memorable exploit, with the trees taking on curious shapes due to the heavy snowfall and freezing winds. The most famous place to see “juhyo” or “ice trees” is Zao Onsen. Onsens, or Japanese hot springs, are a special experience during the cold winter months. In outdoor onsens in rural areas you are thrown back in time, surrounded by magic mountain views and enjoying the snowfall around you while sitting in hot water. The water of the onsens is said to heal various ailments or beauty woes. In Jigokudani Yaenkoen Park, in Nagano, snow monkeys bathe in the hot springs. With their mannerisms and facial expressions they resemble us humans and demonstrate without any shame the pleasure of the bath. Another fairytale-like winter wonderland is in Shirakawago. A World Heritage site, this quaint little village nestled in the Japanese Alps has preserved most of its traditional way of life, with its gassho- zukuri—houses built with triangular thatched roofs resembling hands clasped in prayer and with attics suited for raising silkworms—as the most conspicuous evidence. With my picture “Winter Blossom” I wanted to create the same mystical adventures and cozy atmosphere that I experienced. In a calm and still light evening setting, people are walking home from work. Women are leaving a temple. Snow is falling around them. Giant “snow monster” trees are looking down on the scene. While strolling through one of my favorite flea markets in Machida I found an almost 40-year-old woodblock print collection. Most of the prints where woodblock prints by Japanese artists Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) and Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), ukiyo-e painters and printmakers of the Edo period. In my art work you will find a mixture of several old woodblock prints. The most eye-catching scenery is created by Hokusai's “Winter Evening” and Hiroshige's “Snow at night”. Paper from Germany and pages of an antique Japanese study book give the picture an abstract and unique look. Since Hiroshige's death marked the beginning of a rapid decline in the ukiyo-e genre, especially in the face of the Westernization that followed the Meiji Restoration of 1868, this mixture of European and Japanese material gives the artwork a historical component. Towards the close of the 19th century, Hiroshige's work came to have a marked impact on Western painting as a part of the trend in "Japonisme". Western artists intensively studied Hiroshige's art, and some, such as van Gogh, painted copies of Hiroshige's prints.