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What is Utagawa Kunisada known for?

What is Utagawa Kunisada known for?

Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese: 歌川 国貞; also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III (三代歌川豊国); 1786 – 12 January 1865) was the most popular, prolific and commercially successful designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan.

Was Kunisade popular during his lifetime?

Reception and legacy. Kunisada had a five-decade career, during which his work was always popular and sold in the thousands.

What printing method was Utagawa Kunisada?

woodblock printing process
Kunisada takes us through the main stages of the woodblock printing process – from the cutting of the first outline woodblock through to printing on specially prepared mulberry-fibre paper. Also on display is a rare brush-drawing that Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) completed for a print.

What is Gachūga?

The artifice of the image is further complicated by the inclusion of a cartouche, or image-within-image (known as gachūga). The gachūga functions like a legend for the “main” image, depicting the “real” Komachi, also clad in outerwear, as well as a poem attributed to her.

Which of these works by Japanese artists are Ukiyo E?

The 19th century also saw the continuation of masters of the ukiyo-e tradition, with the creation of the artist Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa, one of the most well-known works of Japanese art, and the artist Hiroshige’s The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō.

What is the purpose of woodblock printing?

Originally, woodblock prints were mainly used for the spread of religious texts and books regarding medicine, beliefs, and auspicious charms. However, woodblock prints advanced more items like art and fashion which are still relevant in some modern art themes.

What are the basic printmaking methods used to create a print?

The four basic categories of printmaking—relief, intaglio, lithography, and screenprinting—are discussed in this chapter. Each of these categories has a number of associated processes.

What is ukiyo-e style?

About. Literally meaning “Pictures of the Floating World,” Ukiyo-e refers to a style of Japanese woodblock print and painting from the Edo period depicting famous theater actors, beautiful courtesans, city life, travel in romantic landscapes, and erotic scenes.

What are ukiyo-e used for?

Ukiyo-e, often translated as “pictures of the floating world,” refers to Japanese paintings and woodblock prints that originally depicted the cities’ pleasure districts during the Edo Period, when the sensual attributes of life were encouraged amongst a tranquil existence under the peaceful rule of the Shoguns.

How is woodblock printing used today?

Printing also became a form of entertainment as the image of the carved wood can be transferred onto silk or paper. Woodblock Printing is the precursor to today’s modern printer where users can photocopy an image or text with a click of a few buttons.

How many kabuki plays does Kunisada have?

You also can find a list of around 1100 identified series (Kunisada’s series list), a reference list (books and internet sites), a site with Kunisada’s signatures and seals , a list of kabuki actors portrayed by Kunisada and a list of kabuki plays illustrated by Kunisada. Please be aware!

How many prints of Utagawa Kunisada are there?

In his own time, his reputation far exceeded that of his contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi. The site displays c. 4.500 prints, mostly ordered by series.

Where did the character Kunisada get his name from?

In the year 1800 or shortly thereafter Kunisada was accepted by Toyokuni I as an apprentice in his workshop. In keeping with a tradition of Japanese master-apprentice relations, he was then given the official artist name of “KUNI-sada”, the first character of which was derived from the second part of the name “Toyo-KUNI”.

Who was the Japanese woodblock artist Kunisada?

Kunisada (1786) (1786-1864) Who is Kunisada (1786)? Japanese artist and printer Kunisada was born in the Honjo district of Edo (now Tokyo) in 1786. Showing extraordinary promise at an early age, he was sent to study under the esteemed artist, Toyokuni, one of the great masters of the renowned Utagawa school of woodblock artists.