Sharaku

Toshusai Sharaku (Japanese东 洲 斎 写 楽, at the time写 乐; * uncertain: mid-18th century; † uncertainly, 1801) was the pen name of the Japanese Noh actor Saitō Jūrōbei, who later became one of the most innovative and creative genius of the Japanese wood block print ( ukiyo -e) was. About his life little is known.

The beginning of his ministry drawing is dated to 1787. Because of its world-famous actor portraits and cartoons that are incurred from 1794 to 1795 in just ten months, and often incorrectly stated as its only works, it is considered along with Rembrandt and Velazquez as one of the greatest portrait artists of all time.

Biography

What is certain is that " toshusai Sharaku " was the stage name of the Noh actor Saitō Jūrōbei. This was initially in the service of the daimyo of Tokushima in Awa from the Hachisuka family. Later he moved to Edo, now Tokyo, where he lived in Hatchobori district.

Artistic work

Models

Sharaku was influenced by woodcut masters such as Utagawa Shunshō, Torii Kiyonaga and Utamaro, but seems to have had no permanent teacher. But would speak, that he has been awarded by a different artist does not form part of his name, as was common in other masters to their students.

Early work

Julius Kurth dates the beginning of Sharaku artistic work on 1787. For this year ( probably originally derived from a series) drawing of the actor Onoe Matsusuke is known, which appeared in the small publishers Matsumura Yahe and has already been signed with " Sharaku ".

From 1788 Sharaku moved permanently to Tsutaya Juzaburo, the then -known publishers in Edo. In this he first published a series of representations of Japanese gods of fortune, of which a Ebisu image has been preserved.

Between 1788 and early 1790 Sharaku created 17 series of so-called " narrow- images " ( hoso -e ), which usually consisted of three or five contiguous motifs and well-known actors were in a naturalistic style in their favorite stage roles and in private life.

Beginning of 1790 was a single sheet with the representation of the seven -year-olds - sumo wrestler Daidōyama Bungorō, who was very popular in Edo at that time. It is unusual that this boy 1788-1790 except Sharaku at least three other artists ( Utagawa Shunzan, Kitagawa Utamaro and Nagayoshi ) anfertigten drawings for promotional purposes.

From the beginning of 1790 Sharaku signed his works with " toshusai Sharaku ".

Alternative theories

An alternative theory to Sharaku biography is that Sharaku was not a real person, but a joint project by several artists. Then the name of " Sharakusai " should (Japanese for " no sense " ) can be derived to indicate that no real " Sharaku " existed. When argument is that Sharaku character style in the course of Publications modified several times strong.

However, it seems unlikely that no one on such a " Sharaku project" participating artists revealed at least his true identity, or at least more information would have left.

Observations from today's perspective

End of his career seems to be at least caused by the fact that the radical nature of his work aroused the hostility of the art scene in Edo. A contemporary manuscript says:

It seems that the prints that the last spark of truth out by pressing accurate representation of personal idiosyncrasies of his subjects, the customer left behind with a sense of malaise and its hard to sell prints made ​​. It seems plausible that he was not willing to compromise and was therefore driven out by his critics from the world of art.

In fact, his art was among collectors in Japan only popular as artists and collectors in the West discovered it in the late 19th century.

He is now regarded as one of the greatest of all wood - block print artist and the first ' modern ' artists of Japan. The rare surviving originals obtain large sums at auctions.