Japanese Ukiyo-e Appreciation · Issue 1: Beauties and Courtesans (9)

Author: Shinkawa Haruchika
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: Ukiyo-e, referring to the genre of folk paintings from the Edo period in Japan. The term "ukiyo" originates from Buddhist language, meaning the myriad phenomena of the world, or the social realities one sees and hears. In the late 17th century, it was adopted by Japanese scholars in the field of art, giving rise to ukiyo-e. The production method of ukiyo-e involved first creating more expensive ink paintings, followed by the emergence of the widely known woodblock prints. Ukiyo-e includes folk paintings centered on beautiful women, artist portraits depicting Kabuki actors, as well as landscapes, flowers, birds, insects, grasses, and paintings of animals and plants. Among these, the beautiful women paintings and artist portraits, which are collectively known as the two major themes of ukiyo-e, are celebrated for their unique charm, attracting worldwide attention and being widely collected by major museums. This volume is a specialized collection of beautiful women folk paintings by Shinkawa school artists. Shinkawa Haruchika (1729–1792) devoted his life to researching and creating artist portraits, capturing the momentary forgetfulness of actors as they immerse themselves in their roles with flawless precision, earning him the title of the "father of artist portraits." Shinkawa Harutide, Shinkawa Haruyoshi, Shinkawa Haruyama, and Shinkawa Haruyaki are all disciples of Shinkawa Haruchika and belong to the Shinkawa school. In addition to artist portraits, they have also produced numerous outstanding beautiful women folk paintings. The artistic style of the Shinkawa school was heavily influenced by Suzuki Harushin and Torei Kiyonaga. Some of their works are so lifelike that they are almost indistinguishable from reality. Nevertheless, their paintings still reveal the effort made to establish a distinctive style of beautiful women paintings.