Reluctant Leave-taking

late 1760s

Not on view

The application of one color over another increased the range of color and offered a means of creating subtle effects, such as transparency and shadowing. In this print of a young man departing from his lover, we see Harunobu's inventive employment of polychrome techniques in search of illusionary effects. The woman adjusts her lover's robe from under the veil of the mosquito netting, which we perceive to alter the color of her kimono. Color has now completely replaced line in the transformation of decorative patterning, as evidenced in the patterning of the kimono. Large areas of color also help to organize the composition through the suggestion of spatial depth.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Reluctant Leave-taking
Artist: Suzuki Harunobu (Japanese, 1725–1770)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: late 1760s
Culture: Japan
Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: H. 7 11/16 in. (19.5 cm); W. 9 9/16 in. (24.3 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914
Object Number: JP867
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

By Suzuki Harunobu

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Parting of Lovers: The Morning After, Suzuki Harunobu Japanese, Woodblock print; chuban yoko-e; ink and color on paper, Japan — Parting of Lovers: The Morning After
Suzuki Harunobu
ca. 1765–70

First Leaf of the Shunga; The Delightful Love Adventures of Maneyemon, Suzuki Harunobu Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — First Leaf of the Shunga; The Delightful Love Adventures of Maneyemon
Suzuki Harunobu
ca. 1769

Gentleman Taking Leave of His Lady on a Veranda, Suzuki Harunobu Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Gentleman Taking Leave of His Lady on a Veranda
Suzuki Harunobu

Yozei no In, Suzuki Harunobu Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Yozei no In
Suzuki Harunobu
ca. 1766

The Curtain Clam, Suzuki Harunobu Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — The Curtain Clam
Suzuki Harunobu

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