The Outer Robe
Original title: The Outer Robe
kurzbeschreibung
Kitagawa Utamaro made this colour woodblock print around 1795. It shows a woman in traditional Japanese dress leaning forward. The image was printed from woodblocks in ink and colour on paper.
Description
A woman bends forward, her obi richly patterned: red and white squares alternate with a green triangle. An ornament sits in her upswept hair. Red, white, green and beige set the palette. A plain, light ground lifts the figure out at the middle of the picture.
Context
Utamaro ranks among the outstanding masters of Japanese colour woodblock printing of the Edo period. His work was devoted above all to images of women, the bijin-ga. In his era woodblock printing in Japan reached its height. Everyday scenes and female beauty formed a focus of his output.
Impact
Calm radiates from the sheet at first glance and draws the eye to the leaning figure. The clear layout, with the woman placed centrally, gives the gaze somewhere to rest. Strong colours and a balanced arrangement settle into an aesthetic harmony characteristic of the Edo period.
Technique
Ink and colour were transferred here by woodblock onto paper. This printing method allows both precise lines and flat, closed areas of colour. Crisp contours and the contrast between the tones define the result.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)