← Suzuki Harunobu Suzuki Harunobu — A Flute-Playing Monk (Komusō); The Fourth Month (Uzuki), from the series Fashionable Poetic Immortals of the Four Seasons (Fūzoku shiki kasen)

Suzuki Harunobu — A Flute-Playing Monk (Komusō); The Fourth Month (Uzuki), from the series Fashionable Poetic Immortals of the Four Seasons (Fūzoku shiki kasen)

A Flute-Playing Monk (Komusō); The Fourth Month (Uzuki), from the series Fashionable Poetic Immortals of the Four Seasons (Fūzoku shiki kasen)

Original title: A Flute-Playing Monk (Komusō); The Fourth Month (Uzuki), from the series Fashionable Poetic Immortals of the Four Seasons (Fūzoku shiki kasen)

Artist: Suzuki Harunobu
Date: ca. 1768
Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: H. 11 in. (27.9 cm); W. 8 3/16 in. (20.8 cm)
Credit line: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929

kurzbeschreibung

Suzuki Harunobu made this colour woodblock print around 1768 for the series 'Fūzoku shiki kasen' (Fashionable Poetic Immortals of the Four Seasons). It shows a komusō, a flute-playing monk, set within a summer scene of the fourth month. The sheet is executed as a woodblock print with ink and colour on paper.

Description

A komusō with his flute stands in the foreground, dressed in a patterned kimono and sash. Behind him, a wooden structure opens onto a view of two more figures in traditional clothing. The setting is outdoors, with a fence and landscape; the palette is dominated by earthy and pastel tones. Even light suggests a daytime scene. The layout is clearly ordered: the main figure in front, the other figures behind.

Context

Harunobu is regarded as a pioneer of the Nishi-e style and introduced full-colour printing (nishiki-e) around 1765. The series 'Fūzoku shiki kasen' links current fashion with classical poetic themes, here the fourth month. Komusō were itinerant monks of the Fuke sect who played the shakuhachi and are often associated with Zen Buddhism. The print dates from the late Edo period, an era of flourishing urban culture and pleasure districts.

Impact

The monk's calm, almost meditative demeanour contrasts with the lively surroundings, giving the sheet its own atmosphere. Pastel tones and clear lines make the image elegant and harmonious. It immediately places the viewer in the summer mood of the fourth month.

Technique

As a woodblock print with ink and colour on paper, the sheet follows a typical process of Japanese ukiyo-e art. Several woodblocks were used for the different colours, producing a differentiated and finely graded colouration. The dimensions are 27.9 × 20.8 cm, a common format for single prints of this period.

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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)