Rain

Characteristic features of Japanese art that Bertha Lum incorporated in this landscape include the strong diagonal composition, dramatic leap frorn foreground to background, and focus on vveather conditions. She also adopted traditional Japanese printing techniques, often employing native craftsmen to assist her. For instance, the hand-painting of the woodblocks (different blocks would be used for different colors) create subtle gradations of hue—particularly noticeable in the sky and sea—and a unique impression for each print.

• Artist: Bertha Lum
• Medium: Color woodcut on cream, thin, Japanese wove paper
• Dates: 1908
• Dimensions: Sheet: 11 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (29.2 x 16.5 cm) Image: 11 x 6 5/16 in. (27.9 x 16 cm)
• Markings: Inscription: in pencil, bottom edge: "Copyright 1908 by / Bertha Lum"; "No / 190"
• Signature: Signed along bottom edge in pencil, "Copyright 1908 by / Bertha Lum / No / 1[9?]0" From Catalog Sheet: Signed, "Copyright 1908 by" in margin, "Bertha Lum" in lower center of composition
• Collection: American Art
• Museum Location: Brooklyn Museum, BMA, 2N12, B505
• Accession Number: 63.108.2
• Image: 63.108.2_PS1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 0,