Young Woman with a Pipe in Her Hand Gazing at Landscape Painted on a Screen
Original title: Young Woman with a Pipe in Her Hand Gazing at Landscape Painted on a Screen
kurzbeschreibung
In this colour woodblock print, Suzuki Harunobu shows a young woman seated with her attention fixed on a tall standing screen painted with a landscape. The work is ink and colour on paper, made in the second half of the eighteenth century. She holds a pipe, and her kimono is patterned with stars and flowers.
Description
The young woman sits in the foreground, her gaze directed at a large screen whose painting depicts mountains, trees and a river. Her kimono is patterned with stars and flowers in red and white; her hair is tied in a knot and ornamented, and she holds a pipe in her hand. Greys, browns and beiges dominate the palette, while the red and white of her garment provide accents. Even light without harsh shadows suggests an interior.
Context
Suzuki Harunobu worked in the eighteenth century and became known for his ukiyo-e woodblock prints; he is counted among the pioneers of multicolour printing (nishiki-e), which emerged in Edo in the 1760s. Women indoors, surrounded by everyday things, recur frequently in ukiyo-e art. A precise date for this print is lacking, but it is assigned to the late phase of Harunobu's career.
Impact
A quiet, intimate mood emanates from the print and draws the viewer into the woman's contemplation. The patterned robe contrasts with the subdued landscape on the screen, emphasising the figure's pensive posture. Clear contours and a balanced colour harmony give the image an aesthetic equilibrium characteristic of Harunobu.
Technique
Ink and colour on paper, printed from several woodblocks, one for each colour — this is how the precise contours and graduated colour areas of ukiyo-e are produced. About 24.9 cm high and 18.6 cm wide, the print corresponds to the standard chūban format.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)