This picture was divided into 9 parts and many kabuki actors were depicted.
This is the picture of Ōgao-e with a close-up of face.
Translation supervised by Princeton University Language Project
Artist at that time designed ukiyo-e making free use of various motifs like the shape of a fan (ōgi), wave-washed beach (suhama), battledore (hagoita) and mirror (kagami). These motifs were depicted on the frame of the portrait picture or inside the small inset image called koma-e which is similar to the images used in the present day comic-books and added the sophisticated accent to the picture. Not only were these designs beautiful but sometimes the small inset image was a landscape related to the main picture and sometimes there even was a concealed hidden mystery. These innovations became even more refined and advanced towards the end of the Edo period. The ideas of the publishers and artists are still fully enjoyable even seen from modern eyes.
●Highlight of the Exhibition●
Various “canvas” sizes were devised throughout ukiyo-e’s long history. Examples include the small sized Hoso-ōban, the larger sized Ōban, the vertically long Hashira-e ban and horizontally long Ōban triptych. Sometimes the screen was delimited and divided into six or nine. For each different size, ukiyo-e artists came up with the layout that made the best use out of it. For example, Torii Kiyonaga depicted a full-length figure of a slender woman on the Hashira-e ban, Katsukawa Shunchō depicted the group of women on the triptych ōban and Katsukawa Shunkō depicted Ōgao-e (close-up bust portrait of a kabuki actor) on the large Ōban by making use of the size of picture, following the trend of using a larger ukiyo-e format. Through this, Shunkō is known to have influenced many ukiyo-e artists like Tōshūsai Sharaku.
One of the charms of ukiyo-e wood-block print exists in its excellent design; take for example its bold composition of the picture, its clear colors and its decoration and small inset images that affixes accent to the picture. Ukiyo-e is widely known to have influenced Western art and in particular, the Impressionist school. There is no doubt that one of the reasons they were enchanted by ukiyo-e was through its design.
The history of ukiyo-e is precisely a history of design with the gradual development of various compositions of picture, color and decorative component through time. Like the commercial design of our time, ukiyo-e wood-block prints were executed in order to meet the needs of the publisher and purchaser in the commercial frame. To sell ukiyo-e prints, they had to have published unusual and attractive ukiyo-e prints that were eye catching. Therefore ukiyo-e artists and publishers worked extremely hard to create innovative composition of picture, color and design. Through such a process, many ukiyo-e prints published in the late Edo period ended up becoming compilations of different ukiyo-e designs with complicated layout and decoration.
In this exhibition, we will try and discover the processes that led up to these advanced designs of ukiyo-e that not only amused Edo people but still enchant modern people. Please enjoy observing the challenges that the Edo publishers took in developing the delicate and vigorous designs of ukiyo-e.
This is the example of vertically long shaped format called hashira-e.
“Design Seen in Ukiyo-e -Published Design of Edo”
This is the vigorous actor portrait of triptych form using the frame shaped like a fan.
●Keisai Eisen
“Tatekawa
Viewed From the Ryōgoku-bashi Bridge in Edo”
This is the scenery that views the direction of Tatekawa area with Ryōgoku-bashi Bridge on the left-hand of the picture. However, before even looking at the picture, we cannot help but notice the alphabet style writing on the black frame. Most of the characters are near-meaningless, however the writing on the right-upper side of the picture can be read as “Holland” and the logo of abbreviation of Dutch East Indian Company: “VOC” is depicted in several parts of the picture. What is interesting here are the two characters meaning publisher (板元) and the mark seen between these two characters located in the middle lower part of the picture. This mark which is the publisher’s seal of Esaki-ya is well integrated into the European-style alphabet design. The design of the western-style frame of this picture is effective in this picture.
2、Various Kinds of Design that Color the World of Ukiyo-e
-Small Inset Image and Frame -
( Will be closed on February 7and 14th)
●Katsukawa Shunchō “Visiting to Massaki Inari Shrine”
Assembled crowd was depicted on triptych wide format of ōban.
1, Layout of Ukiyo-e
-Various Size and Composition of Pictures-
●Utagawa Kunisada “Ukiyo meisho zue : Naniwa Shinmachi”
This picture uses fan shaped design on the frame of small inset image.
●Introduction ●
February 1st～20 th, 2011