The Outer Robe
Kitagawa Utamaro Japanese
Not on view
Seated figures were displayed to particular advantage in the standard, vertical oban format, which allowed the portrayal of full-length figures at close range. The robes, rather than the woman wearing them, could be said to be the subject of this print. In contrast to the practice of using outlines to contain areas of color, Utamaro here flaunts his skill by dispensing altogether with line, concentrating solely on pattern.
The print is from the series Nishiki-ori Utamaro Gata ("New Patterns of Brocade in Utamaro's Style"), perhaps produced in response to his rival, Shun'ei, who at this time was making oshi egata, pasted fabric pictures. Dispensing with real fabric, Utamaro chose instead to convey lifelike reproductions of fashionable fabric.
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