THE SNOW

Following Cherry Blossoms, The Seasons, Birds, and Water, the new small-format boxed set in the ukiyo-e series unfolds a hundred accordion-style images in classic Japanese attire. With the arrival of winter, Japan is tinged with white and sounds become muffled. The whiteness of snow has always fascinated print masters, and artists such as Hokusai, Hiroshige, Shotei, and Kawase have expertly rendered the poetry of the cold season. In the more than 60 images of the boxed set, the peak of Mount Fuji, the solitary temple pagodas, and the travelers along the Tōkaidō compose with the elements of nature a hymn to the purity of the snow-covered world, inviting us to enjoy the fleeting moment of the present according to the dictates of the floating world.