Three Oiran (Courtesans)

1969

Not on view

Shinohara made Three Oiran following a trip to New York from Tokyo on a grant from the John D. RockefellerFoundation. It relates to Doll Festival (1966), on display nearby, in that the artist depicted oiran (high-ranking courtesans), a popular theme from ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Here Shinohara presents oiran in three deconstructed forms in striking colors, but all that remains of the figure at far left is a mirror reflection and patterns that allude to a kimono. Three Oiran is representative of Shinohara’s early work, made when he was drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese visual sources to create imagery aligned with the Pop art movement.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

篠原有司画　「花魁」
Title: Three Oiran (Courtesans)
Artist: Shinohara Ushio (Japanese, born Tokyo, 1932)
Date: 1969
Culture: Japan
Medium: Triptych of color screen prints on paper; artist's proof
Dimensions: Image (each): 11 7/8 × 11 7/8 in. (30.2 × 30.2 cm)
Sheet: 17 3/16 × 43 3/4 in. (43.7 × 111.1 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005
Object Number: 2014.219.2
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

By Shinohara Ushio

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Doll Festival, Shinohara Ushio Japanese, Triptych of color screen prints on paper; edition 1/100, Japan — Doll Festival
Shinohara Ushio
1966

Shō, Bamboo wood, metal, Japanese — Shō
Japanese
19th century

Koto (箏), Various woods, ivory, metal, nylon, tortoiseshell, abalone, lacquerwork, Japanese — Koto (箏)
Japanese
20th century

Second Flag, Chris Pullman, Screen print on paper — Second Flag
Chris Pullman
1965

Blades and Mountings for a Pair of Swords (Daishō), Sukemitsu of Bizen Japanese, Steel, wood, lacquer, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), gold, copper, rayskin, silk, Japanese — Blades and Mountings for a Pair of Swords (Daishō)
Swordsmith Long sword (katana) blade inscribed by Sukemitsu of Bizen
Swordsmith Short sword (wakizashi) blade attributed to Yasumitsu
Fittings maker Set of sword mountings by Iwamoto Konkan
sword (katana) blade, dated 1440; short sword (wakizashi) blade, 15th century; mountings, late 18th century

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.