月岡芳年筆　「月百姿源氏夕顔巻」|The Spirit of the Deceased Yūgao Entwined in Moonflower Vines, based on the print “The Lady of the Evening Faces,” from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi: Genji Yūgao no maki)

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

ca. 1892 · Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk · Asian Art

月岡芳年筆　「月百姿源氏夕顔巻」|The Spirit of the Deceased Yūgao Entwined in Moonflower Vines, based on the print “The Lady of the Evening Faces,” from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi: Genji Yūgao no maki) — Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

As witnessed in works by other late Edo-period artists like Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), a fascination with memorializing scenes from Japanese literature that capture elements of the supernatural and macabre flourished in the late 1800s. Though Tsukioka Yoshitoshi was a pupil of Kuniyoshi, he was influenced by the modernization of Japan and modern media, and sometimes produced violent and disturbing images. Ultimately, however, he became nostalgic for the disappearing traditional culture and ukiyo-e style. In this painting, the semitransparent spirit of the deceased Yūgao is wraithlike and blue-lipped in the moonlight, with “evening faces” moonflower vines encircling her.

Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Date: ca. 1892
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Culture: Japan
Department: Asian Art
Credit line: Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2019

月岡芳年筆 「月百姿 源氏夕顔巻」|The Spirit of the Deceased Yūgao Entwined in Moonflower Vines, based on the print “The Lady of the Evening Faces,” from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi: Genji Yūgao no maki)

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月岡芳年筆　「月百姿源氏夕顔巻」|The Spirit of the Deceased Yūgao Entwined in Moonflower Vines, based on the print “The Lady of the Evening Faces,” from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon (Tsuki hyakushi: Genji Yūgao no maki)