A Woman and Baby

Katsushika Hokusai Japanese

Not on view

Hokusai, an artist chiefly known for his landscapes, in this sketch beautifully depicted a mother and child playing cat's cradle. The two figures, absolutely alone, focus only on one another; the intimate emotional relationship between them is tenderly realized.

The body proportions of this woman do not correspond to those fashionable at the time and well represented by Harunobu's delicate, refined ladies or Utamaro's elongated, slender ones.

A Woman and Baby, Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1760–1849 Tokyo (Edo)), Monochrome woodblock print; ink on paper, Japan

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