Kitagawa Utamaro
Kitagawa Utamaro | Japan 1753–1806 | Shaving the neck (from 'Furyu goyo no matsu' (‘Elegant five-needled pine’) series) c.1797–98 | Colour woodblock print | 37.5 x 26.3cm, 37 x 25.5cm (comp.) | Purchased 1989 with funds from Queensland Coal Resources through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation | Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Kitagawa Utamaro
Japan 1753–1806
Shaving the neck (from 'Furyu goyo no matsu' (‘Elegant five-needled pine’) series) c.1797–98
Colour woodblock print
37.5 x 26.3cm, 37 x 25.5cm (comp.)
Purchased 1989 with funds from Queensland Coal Resources through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Kitagawa Utamaro
Shaving the neck (from 'Furyu goyo no matsu' (‘Elegant five-needled pine’) series) c.1797–98
Colour woodblock prints emerged as a popular art form in Japan in the late seventeenth century, produced through a collaborative process by the so called ‘ukiyo-e quartet’ of publisher, artist, block cutter and printer. Bijinga (literally, pictures of beautiful women) were a favourite theme for ukiyo-e artists. Utamaro is considered a master of the subject, creating images that emphasised and romanticised those attributes, both physical and behavioural, which were considered the hallmarks of feminine beauty.
