Reluctant Leave-taking
Original title: Reluctant Leave-taking
kurzbeschreibung
Suzuki Harunobu's "Reluctant Farewell," from the late 1760s, presents two women in traditional Japanese dress facing each other in an intimate interior — one standing upright, the other kneeling. The image is a color woodblock print in ink and color on paper.
Description
On the left, a woman stands with her gaze lowered; to the right, her companion kneels and adjusts her robe. A window behind them opens onto a plant and a bird. The foot of a lantern at the left edge points toward the two figures. Earth tones dominate the palette, with accents of blue and red providing contrast; light falling from the front clearly separates figures and objects from one another.
Context
Suzuki Harunobu is counted among the defining artists of ukiyo-e in eighteenth-century Japan and played a key role in the development of full-color woodblock printing (nishiki-e), which emerged in the 1760s. This print was made in the late Edo period, when such prints spread through urban centers like Edo (present-day Tokyo) and often took up everyday scenes or motifs from entertainment culture.
Impact
A quiet, familiar mood emanates from the print; the understated narrative draws the viewer into the room. Clear contours and a balanced harmony of color create the aesthetic equilibrium characteristic of Harunobu.
Technique
To produce the print, the design was cut into a woodblock and then transferred to paper with ink and colors. This method allows for precise lines and closed areas of color, as seen here. The multicolor execution points to the advanced nishiki-e technique, which Harunobu brought to perfection.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)