ART STORIA

Night Rain at Omiya (1930) by Hasui Kawase

Kawase Hasui (1883–1957) was one of the leading artists of the Japanese Shin-hanga (which translates to “new prints”) movement, blending traditional Ukiyo-e woodblock techniques with modern atmosphere and perspective. His landscapes are celebrated for their quiet beauty, especially scenes of rain, snow, and night, where mood and light become the true subject.

In Night Rain at Omiya, Kawase creates a peaceful and rather cinematic nighttime scene. Deep blues and soft blacks fill the composition, while the warm glow from the house windows reflects gently across the water. The tall trees and a hint of rain make the landscape feel still and secluded, turning an ordinary yet tranquil rural view into something deeply serene and timeless.

— Shane Stapley, ASAG Journal

The Omnibus (1891-1892) by Anders Zorn

Anders Zorn (1860-1920) was one of Sweden’s most celebrated artists of the late 19th century, known for his virtuosic brushwork, luminous handling of light, and ability to capture fleeting moments of modern life. Trained in academic traditions but deeply attuned to Impressionist sensibilities, Zorn developed a signature style marked by a limited palette, fluid strokes, and a keen psychological presence in his figures.

Zorn's style is best described as a blend of naturalism and Impressionism, as seen in The Omnibus (1891–1892). There are actually two versions of The Omnibus (1891–1892) by Anders Zorn. Both Omnibus's are similar paintings representing contemporary urban life in Paris. A first version of the painting is located at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden. However, the second painting, which is the more renowned version, is located at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. This one, sometimes referred to as "Omnibus II," is what we are looking at today. Here, in the so-called "Omnibus II," we see how Zorn turns an everyday urban commute into an intimate study of modern anonymity. The figures sit closely together yet feel emotionally distant, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Soft, diffused light filters through the windows, while loose, expressive brushwork blurs the boundary between bodies and atmosphere, reinforcing a quiet sense of transience and isolation within shared space.

— Randy H. Sooknanan, ASAG Journal

In a Café (c.1927–29) by Jeanne Mammen

Jeanne Mammen (1890–1976) was one of Weimar Berlin's most incisive visual chroniclers — a sharp-eyed observer of the city's social theatre whose work blended New Objectivity's cool detachment with a gift for psychological nuance. Though largely sidelined during the N**i years, her rediscovery placed her among the era's most vital voices, particularly in her unflinching portrayals of women navigating a world that watched them closely.

In In a Café (c.1927–29), a young woman in a cloche hat sits at a café table, chin resting on her hand, eyes cast downward in private thought. Behind her, a heavyset man leans in with a self-satisfied expression — his bulk pressing into her space — while above them both, a gaunt waiter in a bow tie looms with his tray, all angular angles and cold blue eyes. The woman is surrounded, yet utterly elsewhere. Through her signature ink-wash palette of grey, black, and electric blue, Mammen captures something achingly familiar: a woman existing quietly inside herself while the male gaze circles, oblivious to its own intrusion.

— Denise K. McTighe, ASAG Journal

The Courtesan (after Eisen) (1887) by Vincent van Gogh

In this work Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) credits Keisai Eisen (1790-1848), the Japanese ukiyo-e master who created the original woodblock print that Van Gogh used as his reference. Van Gogh did not invent the central figure; he traced and enlarged a reproduction of Eisen's work that he found on the cover of the magazine Paris Illustré. While it is a copy in terms of the subject's pose, Van Gogh made the work his own by translating the flat woodcut into a textured oil painting with his own expressive brushwork and an entirely new, symbolic border. What we see finished here is a striking example of how he absorbed and reinterpreted Japanese art. Inspired by a woodblock print from the ukiyo-e tradition, Van Gogh painted this piece during a period when he was deeply fascinated by Japanese aesthetics, seeing them as pure, expressive, and emotionally direct.

This work also reflects van Gogh's connection to the broader Post-Impressionism movement, where artists moved beyond realism to emphasize color, symbolism, and personal expression. Here, Van Gogh uses bold outlines, flat areas of color, and a decorative background to echo Japanese prints, while still infusing the image with his own vivid palette and intensity. Visually, the figure stands out against a vibrant, patterned border filled with frogs and cranes, creating a sense of contrast and playful symbolism. The strong contours and simplified forms give the painting a high graphic quality, while the bright colors heighten its impact.

— Shane Stapley, ASAG Journal