Courtesan Arranging the Hair of her Kamuro as a Shinzo Looks On

Artist/Culture Katsukawa Shunchō 勝川春潮 (Japanese, active about 1781–1801)

Date1780s

Mediumwoodblock print; ink and yellow on paper (benigirai-e)

Dimensions20.5 x 27.5 cm (8 1/16 x 10 13/16 in.)

ClassificationsPrints

Credit LineAlexander H. Bullock Fund

Terms

Object number2006.343

Label TextThe concluding decades of the eighteenth century Japan are known as "The Golden Age of Ukiyo-e." This was the era dominant woodcut masters such as Utamari, Koryusai, Kiyonaga, Shunsho, Shunman and Katsukawa Shunchi. Their art expressed a beauty and refinement which has never to this day been equaled. Surviving prints by artists of the end of the 18th century in superb condition, such as this chuban-format print by Katsukawa Shuncho are extremely rare. This print is also very special since it is an even rarer type of print, a benigirai-e "Red (beni)--avoiding/hating (girai) picture (e)," produced by a very small number of sophisticated artists (Katsukawa Shuncho, Kubota Shunman and Chobunsai Eishi) in the 1780s-90s, of which extremely few examples survive in good condition due to their muted color, generally of just yellow, purple or green nuances. The subject matter of a Courtesan Arranging the Hair of her Kamuro as a Shinzo Looks On exemplifies Shuncho's talent in capturing an intimate and psychological moment, which compared to other artists give the figures a sense of mystery. Each line, suggests rather than defines, gesture and expression. In both its subtle coloration and subtle patterns in black and grey, this original woodcut gives us the greatest elements of Japanese art from the Golden Age. Shuncho was a pupil of Katsukawa Shunsho, an acknowledged master of actor prints, who taught him harmonies of colors. But Shuncho was not interested in designing actor prints. Instead, he found his ideal in the prints of tall, beautiful women designed by his contemporary colleague Kiyonaga (1752-1815); however his women were always slightly more robust and less idealized. As early as 1780, Shuncho had become Kiyonaga's most accomplished follower. Many great scholars, however, have rightly pointed to elements within Shuncho's woodcuts which lift his art to an equal level with Kiyonaga.ProvenanceEgenolf Gallery, Burbank, CA

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