The artwork titled “Remaining Snow at Inokashira” is a creation by the artist Hasui Kawase, completed in the year 1920. This piece is executed in the medium of a woodblock print, embodying the aesthetic principles of the Shin-hanga movement. As a genre, it falls under landscape and currently resides at the Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, Ohio, United States.
The artwork itself portrays a serene, wintery scene. The foreground is occupied by banks of snow, remnants of what can be assumed was a more substantial covering, now yielding to the presence of tawny rocks and earth beneath. In the middle ground, a large expanse of still water suggests a lake or pond, with reflections subtly dappling its surface, hinting at the quiet movement of the water. A singular bird, captured mid-stroke, breaks the placidity of the water, creating gentle ripples that contrast with the stillness that surrounds it.
The background is defined by a dense assemblage of coniferous trees, their needles contributing a rich array of dark greens to the palette. Patches of snow on the distant ground mirror the snow in the foreground, connecting the various planar elements in the composition. Striking vertical lines of trunks and the rhythmic repetition of tree shapes lend a textural contrast to the horizontal lines of the water and snowbanks.
Above this tranquil landscape, the sky is rendered in a pale blue, streaked with delicate wisps of cloud, completing the composition with an expanse that draws the viewer’s gaze upward and conveys the vastness of the environment depicted. The attention to detail, subtle color gradation, and interplay of textures reflect the Shin-hanga movement’s fusion of traditional Japanese techniques with Western realism, making this artwork not only a visual representation of a place but also a contemplative expression of nature’s quiet beauty.
