MEDSAN - Thunder Bird over Ohashi Bridge (雷の鳥) - UNIQUE WORK

THERE IS ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD - EDITION 1/1

With this vertical-format artwork, Medsan melts Zapdos, the electric legendary bird of the first-generation Pokémon, into one of the absolute masterpieces of Japanese printmaking: Sudden Shower on the Great Bridge at Atake, plate from Utagawa Hiroshige's One Hundred Views of Edo, 1857. The vertical cartouche at the top left proclaims 雷の鳥, “the thunderbird,” exactly where ukiyo-e would inscribe its title. Passersby surprised by the rain, bent under their oiled-paper umbrellas and straw hats, no longer merely flee the storm: they flee what triggered it.

The rendering adopts the complete grammar of the Japanese woodblock print: solid black contours, flat areas of color with no gradients, tightly angled hatches depicting the downpour via the multiple-block technique, and the famous blue-gray bokashi of the clouds high in the sky. The palette stays restrained — indigo, slate, the charcoal-brown of the bridge apron, the off-white of the lightning — until the saturated yellow of the plumage erupts, the sole electric note of the composition. The bridge runs diagonally toward the lower-right corner, as in Hiroshige, while the lightning bolts in the plumage literally extend the lightning’s streaks. At the bottom-right, the signature and the red seal in Edo-woodblock style close the device, and the patinated grain of the edges mimics the aged paper of period prints.

The mashup conveys one simple, right idea: the legendary Pokémon is but a modern version of kaminari, the spirit of thunder that Japanese imagery has housed in storms since time immemorial. By placing Zapdos in a scene from 1857, Medsan grants it a mythology and reminds us that Hiroshige painted, above all, the indifferent power of the sky over human little silhouettes. The humor of the incongruity never negates the scene’s tension.

What you receive: a unique signed giclée print, pigment print on canvas mounted on a stretcher, numbered 1/1 and hand-signed. A nerveful and literary piece, ideal for adding a touch of contemporary ukiyo-e to an interior belonging to a collector who cares as much for Japanese prints as for video game culture.

Technical specifications:
Artist: Medsan
Reference: Pokémon / Zapdos / Hiroshige / ukiyo-e / Atake Bridge / storm
Dimensions: 40 x 60 cm
Edition: Unique artwork — 1/1 (one world-wide unique copy)
Year: 2026
Support: Pigment print on canvas (giclée), mounted on a wooden frame (thickness ~2 cm)
Signature: Yes, hand-signed
Condition: Excellent
Certificate: Certificate of authenticity (upon request)

About the Studio:
Atelier Joconde is a collective of artists around a living, plural contemporary creation. Set up as a true hub of artistic production, the studio operates both in collaborative creation and in individual pathways, depending on the projects and works. Atelier Joconde is also a family venture. Le Yack, a contemporary figurative painter, develops a narrative and introspective body of work with cinematic and realist influences. Beside him, Medsan, oriented toward pop art painting, explores color, modern iconography, and visual culture. Finally, Neo Pablo pursues a more instinctive inquiry, blending abstract art, outsider art, and figurative abstraction. Each work is conceived, created, and followed within the studio, with a shared artistic standard and an identity unique to each artist.

Keywords:
Medsan, Atelier Joconde, Le Yack, Pokémon, Zapdos, Hiroshige, Ukiyo-e, Japanese print, Atake Bridge, Storm, Vertical format, Contemporary, Unique work, 1/1