Water Scene
In Japanese prints, beautiful women are often cast in the roles of famous male heroes, enabling the artist both to create a more attractive image and to give an additional layer of meaning to a seemingly simple subject. Relaxing in a boat, this beauty actually parodies one of the strongmen, Katsusenba Oteiroku, of the Chinese novel of the fourteenth century, The 108 Heroes of the Suikoden, a tale of the revenge of a band of criminals against a corrupt government.
Kuniyoshi, influenced by European models, often incorporated Western techniques in prints with nominally foreign themes. As this series relates to a Chinese story, the artist has contrasted the contemporary beauty to a landscape drawn in a foreign style, using Western perspective and stylized scenery (clouds and trees).
Kuniyoshi, influenced by European models, often incorporated Western techniques in prints with nominally foreign themes. As this series relates to a Chinese story, the artist has contrasted the contemporary beauty to a landscape drawn in a foreign style, using Western perspective and stylized scenery (clouds and trees).
Artwork Details
- Title: Water Scene
- Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese, 1797–1861)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: 1840
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: 7 15/16 x 7 1/8 in. (20.2 x 18.1 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1921
- Object Number: JP1252
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Utagawa Kuniyoshi
ca. 1850
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
19th century
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
ca. 1830
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
ca. 1840
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