Tetsukuri no Tamagawa, from the series, "Six Tama Rivers" (Mu Tamagawa)
Original title: Tetsukuri no Tamagawa, from the series, "Six Tama Rivers" (Mu Tamagawa)
kurzbeschreibung
Printed around 1798, this colour woodblock by Kitagawa Utamaro centres on a woman in a pink kimono patterned with blossoms, her gaze turned thoughtfully into the distance. A fan showing a river and a bridge, together with a cartouche of characters, fills the space behind her.
Description
Long black hair, held by slender pins, frames the woman's face; her pink kimono carries a floral pattern, her posture stays calm and her eyes drift slightly to the left. Behind her a fan pictures a bridge spanning a river. At the upper right sits a cartouche of Chinese characters with a small bridge motif, and at the lower right further characters and a red seal.
Context
The late Edo period, when ukiyo-e printing flourished, forms the setting for this sheet from the series 'Six Tama Rivers', which takes up famous rivers of Japan. Utamaro was admired above all as a master of bijin-ga, pictures of beautiful women.
Impact
Quiet and elegance arise from the woman's contemplative pose and pensive look. The glowing pink of the kimono is set against the restrained greys and blues behind her, and from that contrast grows a harmonious, hushed presence.
Technique
Ink and colour on paper, printed from several woodblocks, one for each colour — the usual method of Japanese ukiyo-e. Crisp outlines and flat areas of colour distinguish this sheet.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)