A Fishing Excursion
Artist
Kitagawa Utamaro I 喜多川 歌麿
(Japanese, early 1750s–1806)
Dateabout 1798
Mediumwoodblock print
Dimensions31.8 x 67.3 cm (12 1/2 x 26 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection
Object number1901.122
Label TextFishing was a popular pastime for youth in Edo period Japan. Here, Utamaro I conveys a sense of riotous fun through each figure’s body language and the disruption of the water around the boats.
Although the artist clearly applies standardized archetypes of beauty, the figures have their own individualized presence, and are engaged in a variety of activities ranging from casting lines, to prodding the water with hamachi rods, to peering into depths of the river. Details such as the fish still on the hook, the disheveled robes, and the woman covering her mouth with the back of her hand while she laughs, give the viewer the impression that Utamaro I was capturing a single, real moment in time.
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