Wife, from the series Connoisseur of Modern Customs (Tōsei fūzoku tsū)
Original title: “Wife,” from the series Connoisseur of Modern Customs (Tōsei fūzoku tsū)
kurzbeschreibung
This print from around 1790 belongs to Kitagawa Utamaro's series Kenner moderner Sitten (Tōsei fūzoku tsū). The colour woodblock, printed with ink and colour on paper, depicts a wife leaning over a sleeping figure.
Description
A woman in Japanese dress bends down toward a resting person. Her elaborate headdress with yellow ribbons catches the eye; the pale face stands out clearly from the rest of the image, as is typical of such prints. A plain ground lets the two figures emerge. Muted tones dominate the sheet, with red and blue accents in her robe and in the clothing of the sleeper. In the layout the woman is on the left, the sleeping figure on the right.
Context
During the late Edo period, when ukiyo-e woodblock printing was at its height, Utamaro worked on this series, which presents contemporary character types and scenes of everyday life, often focusing on women. The sheet of about 1790 falls in the years when the artist became best known for his portrayals of women. It thus belongs to the cultural production of the urban classes of Edo, present-day Tokyo.
Impact
The quiet, familiar encounter gives off a calm, contemplative mood. Clear contours and restrained colours lend the print an elegant, reserved quality. The balanced arrangement draws attention to the relationship between the two figures.
Technique
For this colour woodblock, colours were applied over several printing blocks, allowing delicate lines and soft colour transitions. Ink and paper correspond to the materials common for ukiyo-e prints of that time.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)