Vijandelijke golven naderen de moderne prins Genji 1860 - 1866

Utagawa Kunisada created "Vijandelijke golven naderen de moderne prins Genji" using woodblock printing, a demanding process involving carving separate blocks for each color. Look at the lines, the textures, the way colors sit next to one another. This is not painting, but the coordination of manual skill, conceptual design, and intense physical labor. Kunisada was one of the most commercially successful designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints in 19th century Japan. In this image, notice the actor in his costume; the iris flowers, drum, and lantern. These elements would all have been individually carved, then carefully aligned for printing. Ukiyo-e prints were not considered "high art" but rather, a popular, mass-produced commodity. Yet, they represent an extraordinary investment of time and skill. We see this kind of labor everywhere in pre-industrial design, and it is important to understand how much work went into the making of things. This gives us a different view of the consumer culture of the time.