Untitled

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

1830–44 · Woodblock print; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

This print is a magnificent depiction of heavy rain. Three men huddled beneath an umbrella are about to pass another who, oblivious to the torrential rain, munches on the eels he carries for sale. Behind him is a comic counterpart to the trio—a single figure burdened with three umbrellas in addition to the one that obscures him from sight. Pouring rain falls straight down and splashes up from the muddy ground. The artist was a contemporary of Kunisada; they were the two principal students of Toyokuni, the most influential artist of the Utagawa school. Genre prints with humorous insights into everyday life were his forte.

Artist

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Date

1830–44

Medium

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929