Evening Snow on the Nurioke, from the series Eight Parlor Views
Original title: Evening Snow on the Nurioke, from the series Eight Parlor Views
kurzbeschreibung
Two women sit indoors absorbed in needlework. The subject comes from Suzuki Harunobu and dates to around 1766, a sheet from the series "Eight Parlor Views." It was executed as a woodblock print in ink and color on paper.
Description
At the left a woman sits in a gray kimono with a red collar, her hair pinned up; needle and a piece of cloth rest on her knees as she works. The second woman, to the right, wears a kimono patterned in brown and red and watches closely what her companion is sewing. A wooden door and wallpaper with a geometric pattern close off the room behind them, and light falls in through the doorway.
Context
The series "Eight Parlor Views" appeared in the middle of the Edo period, when Harunobu gave the color woodblock print a decisive push forward. The artist liked to show women in everyday life, often idealized and in delicate tones. This sheet counts among the early witnesses to the full-color nishiki-e, which emerged around 1765.
Impact
Muted colors and the unhurried action create a quiet, familiar mood. Clear contours and rich detail draw the eye to the two women's concentrated sewing.
Technique
Ink and color on paper, applied over several woodblocks, a common method in Japanese printmaking. The individual passes could be registered precisely, allowing fine gradations of color.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)