A Branch of Plum (Umegoe)
Original title: A Branch of Plum (Umegoe)
kurzbeschreibung
In Utagawa Kuniyoshi's colour woodblock print "A Plum Branch (Umegoe)," made around 1845–46, two figures in traditional Japanese dress appear beneath a flowering plum branch. The ukiyo-e sheet is printed in ink and colour on paper.
Description
Crouched at the lower edge sits a figure in blue-and-white robes with a high, upright collar. Behind them stands a second person in a red-and-white robe. Both wear traditional Japanese hairstyles. Above them spread the blossoms and leaves of a plum tree. Characters in the upper part of the sheet presumably give the names of those portrayed. Strong colours and a clear, nearly symmetrical layout shape the view.
Context
Kuniyoshi ranks among the foremost ukiyo-e artists of nineteenth-century Japan. This sheet dates from the late Edo period, when woodblock prints were produced and circulated in great numbers. The title "Umegoe" points to a literary or historical reference connected with plum blossom. Such prints usually appeared as single sheets or within series and were aimed at a broad urban public.
Impact
The uncluttered arrangement of the figures and the bright colours give the sheet a calm, decorative effect. Floral motifs and human figures enter into a harmonious relationship that opens up narrative tension and draws the viewer into the scene.
Technique
The sheet was produced by the woodblock method in ink and colour on paper, as was customary for ukiyo-e. Several woodblocks were used for the different areas of colour, and these had to be aligned precisely with one another. The exact lines and the nuanced application of colour testify to the high craft quality of the print.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)