Kite Flying
Original title: Kite Flying
kurzbeschreibung
A long string, a red dragon's head, four people on the beach: Suzuki Harunobu's color woodblock print from around 1766 is titled "Kite Flying" and belongs to the works printed in ink and color on paper.
Description
A man crouches in the sand, holding the string that ends at the kite with its red emblem at the tip; two women in patterned robes and a child stand nearby, watching the flight. One of the women holds the line. Waves and the branches of a tree close off the picture space. Pastel tones dominate, and the light falls softly on the figures without hard shadows.
Context
Harunobu ranks among the most important Japanese woodblock artists of the eighteenth century and played a major role in the development of nishiki-e, the multicolor print. In the Edo period, kite flying was a widespread leisure pastime and often stood for the beginning of the year. The artist frequently took up scenes from everyday and urban life. This print was made just as the color woodblock was reaching full flower in Japan.
Impact
The pastel-colored robes and even light give the beach scene something calm and cheerful. Clear contours and a balanced harmony of color create an elegance that reaches beyond the fashion of its time and is considered characteristic of Harunobu's hand.
Technique
To make the print, the design was cut into wooden blocks and then transferred to paper with ink and color. Several blocks used side by side allowed fine contours and a broad range of tones.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)