A party in a house with two women at left 1790

This print, by Kitagawa Utamaro, shows a party in a house, and was made using woodblock printing, a quintessential technique in the Edo period. Woodblock printing demanded intense collaboration and division of labor, involving the artist, block carver, printer, and publisher. The artist created the initial design, which was then meticulously transferred onto a woodblock, usually cherry. Carvers would then cut away the wood, leaving the design in relief, and the printer would apply ink to the block and press paper onto it to transfer the image. Each color required a separate block, and thus immense planning to achieve perfect registration. The flat expanses of color, the stark lines defining the architecture, and the subtle gradations of tone in the figures are all enabled by this process. The resulting aesthetic – precise yet fluid, refined yet accessible – spoke to the tastes of the burgeoning merchant class, who were major consumers of these prints. Considering the collaborative making process, and how the print became available, it is clear that the value of this artwork lies not only in its aesthetic appeal but also in its reflection of the socio-economic conditions of its time.