Kitagawa Utamaro
Japanese, c.1753–1806
Utamaro trained with the painter Toriyama Sekien and rose to fame in the 1790s with the support of the publisher Tsutaya Jūzaburō. He is best known for his half-length portraits of women, the ōkubi-e or “large head” pictures, which give close attention to expression, gesture and the texture of hair and fabric. He also produced finely observed books of insects, shells and birds. In 1804 he was punished by the authorities for designs depicting the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Written by Ochre Editions.
- In the collection
- 12 worksDated 1780–1806
- Mostly
- Movement
- Ukiyo-eJapanese woodblock prints of the floating world: actors, courtesans, landscapes and the sea.
The works
