Print 1800 - 1865

This print was made by Utagawa Kunisada, a prolific designer of Japanese woodblock prints, active in the first half of the 19th century. The process used here, called *ukiyo-e*, involves a collaboration between the artist, the wood carver, and the printer. The artist would create a design, which was then transferred to a woodblock, carved in relief, and printed by hand. The linear quality of the work derives from the cutting process, and the flat planes of color are produced by layering impressions from multiple blocks. This was a highly skilled, labor-intensive process, and the prints were made affordable for a mass audience. You could say that *ukiyo-e* brought the sensibilities of craft into an early form of industrial production. Paying attention to the making of this image, reminds us that art is never just about individual genius; it's always about social relationships, too.