Untitled

Suzuki Harunobu

ca. 1767 · Woodblock print; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

In Harunobu's artistic vision, the interior life is defined by its relationship to the exterior world. In all three Harunobu prints in this exhibition, though the figures are placed suggestively close to the outside, their activities allude to the intimacy of the domestic realm. Indeed, the open screen stands as a metaphor for the harmonious integration of the domestic realm and the natural world. Together with greater naturalism in color, gesture, and posture, Harunobu's polychrome prints complete the transformation in the direction of a new ideal. The characteristic style of the early ukiyo-e print artist, featuring the conventionalized treatment of iconic subjects, has been replaced by the emergence of a new world view founded on naturalism.

Artist

Suzuki Harunobu

Date

ca. 1767

Medium

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914