Navaro Rapids

This Oriental tapestry “Navaro Rapids” shows a stylised and dramatic scene of large waves, from the original woodblock print of Japanese artist Ando Hiroshige. Here we see the rough seas at Awa one of the prefectures of Japan, created in 1855. The works of Hiroshige was legendary in his time and had a distinct style which portrayed subjects from Japan in a illustrative but often stylised way. It was said that he became inspired to do woodblock prints and art after seeing the works of fellow Japanese artist Hokusai. Japan, being a group of islands of volcanoes and hot springs, has frequent large waves and even tsunamis, which has been captured by prominent artists throughout history. In this tapestry we see the bright vivid blues and dramatic swirls of the ocean waves occupying the main part of the work with the land in the background. These blues are complemented by the browns and beiges to create a balanced color palette to the scene. This is a most distinctive work from Hiroshige and is one of his most well known pieces. This Oriental tapestry “Navaro Rapids” is unlined and has a tunnel for easy hanging.