Toyohara KUNICHIKA
(Japan 1835–1900)
- Title
- (Emperor Antoku and his nurse)
- Place of origin
-
Japan
- Period
- Meiji period 1868 - 1912 → Japan
- Year
- late 19th century
- Media category
- Materials used
- colour woodcut
- Dimensions
-
Ôban tate-e: 35.1 x 23.5cm image; 41.7 x 28.2cm sheet
- Signature & date
- Not signed. Not dated.
- Credit
- Gift of Dr Roderick Bain 1997
- Accession number
- 163.1997
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
This image might be part of triptych or diptych.
Produced in the mid to late 19th century, the period often referred to as the 'decadent' period of ukiyo-e; the subject matter reflects the feeling of unrest in Japan when the Shogunate Government was losing its grip on the rising powers of merchants & progressive regions. The subtlety of the pleasure seeking 'floating world' of earlier times gave way to depictions of emotional drama or violence taken from historical battles, stories of heroic deeds & the kabuki theatre. This period also produced intimate images of ordinary women in a manner which suggests an influence of Western paintings.
Kunichika started publishing the actor series in 1869.
- Bibliography (1)
-
AJIOKA Chiaki (Japan) (Curator), Heroes and villains: from Japan's floating world, Sydney, May 2001, 6. cat.no. 1.10
- Exhibition history (1)
-
Heroes and Villains, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 19 May 2001–19 Aug 2001.
