Umbrellas

This is thought to be the first of twelve designs produced by the publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō and the Austrian painter Friedrich (Fritz) Capelari in 1915, marking the beginning of the shin hanga movement. After seeing an exhibition of Capelari’s subtle, romanticized watercolors of scenic views and local people—inspired by the artist’s time in China, Java, and Japan—Watanabe felt Capelari would be the ideal collaborator on a new type of print, featuring Japan’s modern character in a way that appealed to foreign tourists.