Poet with Two Pages on the Banks of the Tatsuta
Original title: Poet with Two Pages on the Banks of the Tatsuta
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike most poet portraits of the Edo period, this colour woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, made around 1845, centres not on a recitation but on a pause by the water. A poet and two companions linger on the bank of the Tatsuta; the sheet is executed in ink and colour on paper and belongs to the ukiyo-e prints.
Description
Three figures stagger across the picture surface: a seated person in red reads from a book or scroll, beside them someone in black kneels and points upward, and behind stands a figure in violet. Wavy lines suggest the river, while trees on the left reach down to the water. At upper right, on a red ground, sits a text panel with Chinese characters. Blue, red, black and white govern the palette; hard contrasts and firmly drawn contours are characteristic of the ukiyo-e style.
Context
Kuniyoshi was one of the defining artists of the late Edo period, best known for history pictures and landscapes. When this print was made, poets and literary subjects were often taken up in ukiyo-e art. The Tatsuta is a famous place in Japanese poetry, frequently linked with autumn leaves and verse.
Impact
Stillness and movement meet: the figures stay composed while the river's waves are set in motion, and from this a reflective mood arises. Strong colours and sharp outlines give the sheet an immediate presence that draws the viewer quickly into the scene.
Technique
The colours were applied to the paper in several passes. Ink and mineral pigments produced bright, lasting tones. Precisely guided lines and flatly laid colour are the hallmarks.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)