Woman in Red

late 18th century

Not on view

Shunshō was a master at capturing the drama of the moment. He was the founder of the Katsukawa school, which devoted itself to depicting Edo's actors. Shunshō excelled at dramatic designs for pillar prints, which were made to be hung from house posts. He created linear figures that related in ingenious ways to this expressive and demanding shape.

In this subtle yet erotic work, Shunshō exploits a single color to accentuate the sweeping lines of his drawing. An ordinary courtesan is defined by the fabric of her clothing, except for one arm, which pierces the folds of her long sleeve. She holds the bottom of this sleeve up to her face in a contrived gesture of modesty. A sheaf of tissue paper is in her other hand. Her simple robe is decorated with tie-dyed dots (kanoko shibori) in the traditional hemp-leaf pattern, a stylized motif often used for clothing.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Woman in Red
Artist: Katsukawa Shunshō　勝川春章 (Japanese, 1726–1792)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: late 18th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions: 27 7/8 x 6 1/2 in. (70.8 x 16.5 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Object Number: JP1760
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

By Katsukawa Shunshō　勝川春章

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Mirror of the Beautiful Women of the Yoshiwara Brothels (Seirō bijin awase sugata kagami) 青楼美人合姿鏡, Katsukawa Shunshō　勝川春章 Japanese, Polychrome woodblock printed book; ink and color on paper, Japan — Mirror of the Beautiful Women of the Yoshiwara Brothels (Seirō bijin awase sugata kagami) 青楼美人合姿鏡
Katsukawa Shunshō　勝川春章
Kitao Shigemasa 北尾重政
1776

Helmet (<i>Zukinnari Kabuto</i>), Iron, lacquer, Japanese — Helmet (*Zukinnari Kabuto*)
Japanese
16th century

Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), or The Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
, Katsushika Hokusai Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), or The Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
Katsushika Hokusai
ca. 1830–32

Kabuki Actors Osagawa Tsuneyo II and Ichikawa Danjūrō V, Katsukawa Shunshō　勝川春章 Japanese, Diptych of woodblock prints (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, Japan — Kabuki Actors Osagawa Tsuneyo II and Ichikawa Danjūrō V
Katsukawa Shunshō　勝川春章
ca. 1780s

Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>), Saotome Ietada Japanese, Iron, lacquer, silk, gilt copper, Japanese — Armor (*Gusoku*)
Armorer Helmet bowl signed Saotome Ietada
Armorer Breastplate inscribed inside, Myōchin Munesuke
16th and 18th centuries

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