Girls Playing a Game with Shells
Original title: Girls Playing a Game with Shells
kurzbeschreibung
Kitagawa Utamaro's 1790 colour woodblock print titled 'Girls Playing a Game with Shells' gathers a group of women around a shared shell game. The sheet is executed as a woodblock print with ink and colour on paper and measures 23.2 x 37.8 cm.
Description
Several women in traditional dress sit on a wooden platform, absorbed in a focused game with shells. On the left, one woman holds out a red bowl of shells while the others watch attentively. An open door reveals a landscape of mountains and trees. The colours remain mostly subdued; red and yellow passages in the garments provide accents.
Context
The print was made during the Edo period, a time of cultural flourishing in Japan. Like many works of the ukiyo-e genre, which takes up everyday scenes and pleasures, it belongs to this tradition. Women engaged in leisure activities appear frequently in Utamaro's oeuvre.
Impact
A calm, peaceful mood pervades the image. Even light distribution and the women's relaxed postures contribute to this. Clear lines and a harmonious colour palette ensure aesthetic balance.
Technique
Ink and colour were applied to paper for the print. Crisp lines and flat areas of colour stand out, precisely modelling the figures and their surroundings.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)