Shaving a Boy's Head by Kitagawa Utamaro

Shaving a Boy's Head c. 1801

print, ink, woodblock-print

portrait

print

asian-art

caricature

ukiyo-e

japan

ink

woodblock-print

genre-painting

"Shaving a Boy's Head," created by the renowned Japanese artist Kitagawa Utamaro around 1801, is a striking example of the *ukiyo-e* genre. This woodblock print depicts a scene of intimate domesticity, with a woman shaving the head of a young boy, while another woman watches attentively. The artist captures the subtle expressions and gestures of the figures with masterful detail, showcasing his signature style that emphasized the beauty of everyday life in Edo-period Japan. The composition is balanced, with the figures arranged in a harmonious triangular formation, and the use of vibrant colors and delicate patterns creates a sense of warmth and intimacy. This artwork is a testament to Utamaro's skill in capturing the fleeting moments of human experience with sensitivity and grace.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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While this print may be another example of Utamaro’s attempts to avoid censorship by depicting a seminude woman as a paragon of motherhood, the effect here is only minimally erotic. This is partly due to both the woman’s and the barber’s intense concentration on the slumbering child. And it is difficult not to sympathize with the young woman, who has become disheveled in her attempts to settle the child, perhaps finally resorting to breast-feeding him so he would fall asleep, allowing the barber to shave his head without mishap. There is the implicit suggestion that the woman was desperate to make use of this itinerant barber’s services while he was in the neighborhood.