Lady Komachi
Original title: Lady Komachi
kurzbeschreibung
Suzuki Harunobu's 'Dame Komachi' is a Japanese color woodblock print (nishiki-e), made with ink and color on paper. It presents a woman in traditional attire within a room, her gaze thoughtfully lowered.
Description
A red kimono with rich patterning and a dark outer robe define the woman's appearance; her upswept hair is adorned with an ornament. Her gaze is directed downward and to the right, while her feet barely touch the ground. Behind her, a door and window of a wooden building open, bamboo leaves hanging above the window; to the rear right rises a small, bare rock formation. Warm browns, red, and beige predominate, with accents of blue and green in the bamboo leaves. Soft light falls into the room from above.
Context
Suzuki Harunobu ranks among Japan's outstanding woodblock print masters of the 18th century and is regarded as a pioneer of multicolor printing, nishiki-e. The subject draws on the legendary poet Ono no Komachi, renowned for her beauty and her verses. Harunobu produced many images of women in everyday scenes that capture the urban life of the Edo period.
Impact
From the first glance, a quiet, intimate calm emanates from the print. The delicate coloring and clear contours lend it a poetic, almost melancholic mood. Dame Komachi appears graceful and at the same time inviting.
Technique
For this print, the design was cut into woodblocks and printed with ink on paper. Several blocks served the different colors, as is usual for nishiki-e. Precise contours and flat areas of color characterize Harunobu's style.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)