Actor (1845); Kunisada
The display reads:
Utagawa Kunisada
Japan 1786 - 1865
Actor
1845
Woodblock print
Acquisition
Kunisada was one of the most prolific and inventive designers of Ukiyoe woodblock prints. Though print designers such as Kunisada are often given full credit for the finished product, Ukiyoe prints were created in a collaborative environment that depended on the skills of the block-cutters and printers as well as the artists and publishers. The term Ukiyoe, "Pictures of the Floating World" refers to depictions of the fashion and trend conscious cultural milieu of the city Edo, modern day Tokyo. The Kabuki theatre was one of the most popular entertainments of the Edo period and many print designers made their living portraying actors both on and off the stage. This print is a panel from a large multi-paneled composition depicting a scene from an unidentified Kabuki play. The actor, in the guise of a workman or shopkeeper, is comically suspended above the spring scenery from an unseen support.
Taken September 2nd, 2011.
Actor (1845); Kunisada
The display reads:
Utagawa Kunisada
Japan 1786 - 1865
Actor
1845
Woodblock print
Acquisition
Kunisada was one of the most prolific and inventive designers of Ukiyoe woodblock prints. Though print designers such as Kunisada are often given full credit for the finished product, Ukiyoe prints were created in a collaborative environment that depended on the skills of the block-cutters and printers as well as the artists and publishers. The term Ukiyoe, "Pictures of the Floating World" refers to depictions of the fashion and trend conscious cultural milieu of the city Edo, modern day Tokyo. The Kabuki theatre was one of the most popular entertainments of the Edo period and many print designers made their living portraying actors both on and off the stage. This print is a panel from a large multi-paneled composition depicting a scene from an unidentified Kabuki play. The actor, in the guise of a workman or shopkeeper, is comically suspended above the spring scenery from an unseen support.
Taken September 2nd, 2011.