Utamaro
Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese喜 多 川 歌 麿; * 1753, † 1806) was a Japanese artist who became famous for his woodblock prints.
Life and work
Utamaro's place of birth is not known, the year of birth is not certain. In his youth he studied under an artist of the Kano school named Toriyama Sekien and called himself Toyofusa, later Toyoaki. In this period, his style was influenced by older Ukiyoe Utagawa Künstern as Shunchō, Torii Kiyonaga and Kitao Shigemasa. But in the Temmei - time ( 1781-89 ) he broke away and developed his own style with elegant lines. That was also the time after he called himself Utamaro. Examples from this period are the albums with brilliant color woodcuts Ehon mushi erami, Shiohi no tsuto, Momo chidori. These books were published by renowned publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo.
With the beginning of the Kasei period (1789-1819), he created a number of portraits of women who were known as bijin Okubi -e, ie images in which to take the sheet, the heads of the people portrayed. A number of these color prints were printed on mica surface. The women are shown with detail - rich, they include different temperaments, social classes, also show internal states of the sitter - far different from the idealized, expressionless beauties that have flooded the genre.
Utamaro has different series with the beauty of the Yoshiwara ( here Seiró - the " green houses " or Hokkoku - "North Country " ( Yoshiwara lay in the north of Edo ) ) created. The prints of his time especially famous " Three Beautiful " Naniwaya Okita, Toyoshima Ohisa and Tomimoto Toyohina are known. - Multiple parodied Utamaro the Eight Views of Lake Biwa ( Ōmi hakkei ) or its variants, where he = Eight Views with the same wording hakkei replaced times Ōmi ( province ) by Ōmi ( lovers ) and hakkei = eight vows.
When his publisher Tsutaya died in 1797, other publishers tore around Utamaro. He tried to meet the great demand, but it lost its photo quality. In 1804 he produced a number of prints that were based on the historical work Taitōki, a work that was banned by the government. He came out three days in jail and had to wear chains on his hands 50 days. He died two years later.
His students Utamaro II, Tsukimaro ( -1831? ) (-? 1830), Hidemaru (. Early 19th Century) with Bokusen ( 1736-1824 ) failed to match its success.
Utamaro is one of the artists who impressed the French Impressionists, particularly in a sustainable manner.
Work
- Painting
- Illustrated books ( examples) Ehon mushi erami [NB 1] (絵 本 虫 选) ( 1787)
- Shiohi no tsuto (潮干 の つと)
- Momo chidori (百千 鸟)
- Prints as a series ( examples) Fujin Sogaku juttai (妇人 相 学 拾 躰), 1792-93
- Fujo ninsō juppin (妇女 人 相 十 品), 1792-93
- Ukiyo -e Ōmi hakkei (浮 絵 近 江 八景), 1792-195
- Mu - tamagawa (六 玉川), 1793
- Toji san bijin (当时 三 美人), 1793
- Kasen koi no bu (歌 撰 恋 之 部), 1793-94
- Toji Zensei bijin - zoroe (当时 全盛 美人 揃)
- Seiró June toki Tsuzuki (青楼 十二 时), 1794
- Musume hi - dokei (娘 日 时 计), 1795-95
- Seiró nana Komachi (青楼 七 小 町), 1794-95
- Hokkoku Goshiki - zumi (北国 五色 墨), 1794-95
- Kōmei bijin mitate Chūshingura (高名 美人 見 た て 忠臣蔵), 1794-95
- Meisho koshikake hakkei (名 所 腰 挂 八景), 1995-96
- Ōmi hakkei (逢 身 八 契), 1798-99
- Yamauba to Kintaro (山姥 と 金太郎), 1801
- Kyokun oya no megane (教訓 親 の 日監), 1802
- Numerous prints single sheets