A Woman Playing with a Monkey which Has Climbed a Tree
Original title: A Woman Playing with a Monkey which Has Climbed a Tree
kurzbeschreibung
Around 1770 Suzuki Harunobu made this colour woodblock print of a woman playing with a young monkey that has climbed a tree. Printed in ink and colour on paper, the sheet measures 69.9 cm high and 12.1 cm wide and belongs to the nishiki-e, the multi-coloured woodblock prints.
Description
Standing on a platform and looking up with a smile, the woman watches a monkey that hangs from a branch behind her. Over a white undergarment she wears a long greenish robe with patterns; her hair is piled high and ornamented. Blossoms and leaves make up the tree, and the palette stays pastel with greens and beige. Evenly spread light suggests an outdoor daytime scene. The layout feels symmetrical, with the woman in front and the tree behind.
Context
Suzuki Harunobu, a major Japanese woodblock artist of the eighteenth century, did much to develop the multi-coloured print known as nishiki-e. This sheet was made around 1770 in Edo, today's Tokyo, and takes up a familiar ukiyo-e subject: scenes of daily life and leisure. Women with animals were a popular theme of the period and reflect the era's cultural fascination with nature as well as the place of women in urban society.
Impact
Delicate colours and clear lines set the tone and are typical of Harunobu's style. The calm, symmetrical arrangement creates a cheerful, idyllic mood. The woman's friendly gaze and her playful exchange with the monkey draw the viewer into the scene.
Technique
Several woodblocks were used for the print, one for each colour. The nishiki-e method allowed subtle colour transitions and precise rendering of detail. Ink and pigments were printed on paper; crisp contours and the pastel palette are characteristic.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)