Untitled

Kitagawa Utamaro

ca. 1800 · Three sheets of a hexaptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

In this ambitious group of prints, beautiful women appear in two stage areas as both performers and audience. At the top, women and children pause from their stroll to take in the view of boating parties on the river. The six panels of this hexaptych (with JP1686) were meant to be viewed singly or as a set. The individual compositions are masterfully united by the gazes that traverse the borders of the prints. Seen separately, each panel depicts a group of fashionably dressed spectators. When the panels are seen together, the observers become the observed.

Artist

Kitagawa Utamaro

Date

ca. 1800

Medium

Three sheets of a hexaptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

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