The Islands at Matsushima

Matsushima, a cluster of 260 islands covered in pine trees off the coast of northeastern Japan, has long been celebrated for its beauty in art and literature. Friedrich Capelari’s design of fishing boats with crisp white sails heading out into calm seas continues the tradition of scenic landscape imagery. Capelari was the first Western artist employed by publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō to create designs for shin hanga, or “new prints.” Japanese artists were initially reluctant to engage in such highly commercial work, so Watanabe turned to foreign artists. He encountered the work of Capelari, the first Western artist to be recruited, in a department store exhibition in 1914. Together, they created 15 prints.