Yozei no In
Original title: Yozei no In
kurzbeschreibung
Suzuki Harunobu made this print, titled Yozei no In, around 1766. Two women in traditional dress occupy a wooden veranda. One of them climbs a ladder with a book in her hands, while her companion stands to the side in a coloured kimono. The image is a woodblock print, printed with ink and colours on paper.
Description
At the left a woman mounts a ladder, holding a book, and turns toward her companion standing at the right. This second figure wears a kimono patterned with flowers and also carries a book. Both have traditional hairstyles and matching footwear. A flowering plant spills over the veranda railing, and Chinese characters appear in the upper right of the sheet.
Context
Harunobu ranks among the leading figures of eighteenth-century Japanese woodblock printing, and his reputation rests above all on his refined colour prints. This sheet dates from the Edo period, an era of cultural flourishing in which the ukiyo-e genre took shape. Scenes of everyday life with female figures recur often in Harunobu's work.
Impact
The layout conveys calm and balance; crisp contours and carefully placed colours shape the impression. The exchange between the two women gives off a familiar, everyday mood that draws the viewer's eye into the moment.
Technique
Japanese colour woodblock printing was used for this sheet, transferring ink and colours onto paper. Precisely drawn lines and clear colour are among the hallmarks of this printing method.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)