Odawara Possibly 1854 - 1857

print, ink, color-on-paper

childish illustration

cartoon like

cartoon based

pastel soft colours

egg art

print

japan

handmade artwork painting

ink

color-on-paper

watercolour illustration

cartoon style

cartoon carciture

cartoon theme

"Odawara" is a woodblock print by the prolific Japanese artist Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865). This vertical ōban print, a standard size for woodblock prints, is an example of the bijin-ga genre, which features beautiful women. The print depicts a stylishly dressed woman in a purple and white kimono, partially disrobed, standing before a landscape of green hills and a blue river. This "美人画" (bijin-ga) artwork, dating between 1854 and 1857, is part of the Minneapolis Institute of Art collection. Kunisada was known for his ability to capture the elegance and grace of women in his work.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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This print shows a young woman wearing a light, single-layer cotton robe, or yukata, a popular garment for summer. She is a traveler along the Tōkaidō, the most important road in Japan that connected Edo (today’s Tokyo) with Kyoto. She chats with a woman selling souvenirs after taking a bath. A bold pattern of chrysanthemums adorns this yukata. Its uneven edges are the printmaker’s visual shorthand for the tiny circles created by tie-dyeing, used to construct larger patterns.