COMPOSITION OF TOWNSCAPE IN THE UKIYOE PAINTINGS

Abstract

This study examines the composition of roads and buildings in Ukiyoe landscape paintings illustrated primarily by the artist HIROSHIGE. By drawing comparisons between Ukiyoe paintings and real townscapes, the following were determined: (1) Buildings appear in the short-range, medium-range and long-range landscape. Tea houses, Japanese-style inns, and dwellings were usually painted in the medium-range landscape. Straight, flat and unpaved roads usually appear in most Ukiyoe paintings. (2) The ratio of road width to building height is 0.7-1.4 which is similar to that which appears in the Ukiyoe paintings. (3) Though the main roads of the post towns in Ukiyoe paintings are depicted as straight, the actual existing roads have a gentle bend to them. Between the super short- and the medium-range landscape of the main street, buildings are usually located at the end of a road creating an eye-stop or termination of vista.

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