Girl on Balcony above Stone Stairway
Original title: Girl on Balcony above Stone Stairway
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many related sheets by Harunobu, this woodblock print of about 1768 does not place a solitary beauty indoors but shows a woman in traditional Japanese dress standing on a balcony. She holds a stick with a cord attached; below her lie a stone staircase and wooden beams. The image was produced as a woodblock print in ink and color on paper.
Description
The woman stands on the balcony, her garment patterned with shapes that recall cloud formations, and flowers ornament her traditional hairstyle. A stone stairway and the beam construction of a Japanese house fill the lower part of the image. Grays, whites, and blues dominate, with red and brown providing accents. Light falls evenly, without strong shadows or highlights.
Context
Harunobu ranks among the foremost woodblock artists of the Edo period and is regarded as a pioneer of nishiki-e, the multicolor print. Around 1768, when this sheet was made, he often devoted himself to elegant portrayals of women (bijin-ga). A woman on a balcony above a staircase could come from the urban everyday life that ukiyo-e art frequently takes up. At roughly 27.9 × 20.6 cm the format falls within the typical chūban range used for intimate genre pictures.
Impact
The layout reads as balanced and quiet, and the restrained coloring reinforces that impression. Clear lines and the precise rendering of the figure give the print an elegant, almost fragile grace. A contemplative mood results.
Technique
Ink and color were applied to paper in this woodblock print. The multicolor printing that Harunobu brought to completion allowed fine gradations and details, visible in the cloud patterns and floral ornaments.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)