Seven Otafukus c. 1870s - 1880s

color-on-silk, hanging-scroll, ink

imaginative character sketch

automotive illustration

color-on-silk

japan

cartoon sketch

personal sketchbook

flat colour

hanging-scroll

ink

wedding around the world

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

cartoon carciture

watercolor

"Seven Otafukus" is a playful and humorous painting by Japanese artist Kawanabe Kyōsai, depicting seven women, all with round, plump figures and playful expressions, engaging in various activities like calligraphy, playing Go, and reading. Kyōsai was known for his whimsical and often satirical depictions of everyday life, and this painting exemplifies his signature style. The use of bold lines and bright colors gives the painting a dynamic and energetic feel, capturing the lively atmosphere of the scene. The work showcases Kyōsai's talent for capturing the nuances of human expression and movement, making it a delightful and engaging example of his art.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Kawanabe Kyōsai was one of the most versatile and talented artists in the late nineteenth century. Born in 1831 in Koga, Kyōsai first became a pupil of the ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1796-1861) at the age of six. After ten years with Kuniyoshi, he moved on to study the orthodox style of the Kanō school. In 1852, he left the Kanō school and spent the rest of his life as an independent artist. Living in the age of upheaval from the Tokugawa shogunate to the Meiji government, he worked beyond the boundaries of the established schools of painting. Kyōsai exhibited his genius in the wide range of subjects and style of painting as well as printmaking. With his technical refinement, Kyōsai particularly showed tremendous talent in satirical parodies of fantasic and weird subjects with wit and vitality. With a sketchy manner, Kyōsai depicted the lively party of Seven Otafuku playing go (Chinese chess) and calligraphy, two of the four gentlemanly accomplishments of a Chinese literati. In genre painting and ukiyo-e, gentlemen’s sophisticated activities were transformed into a pastime of beautiful courtesans at the pleasure quarters. Here, it is further changed into a raucous entertainment for a cohort of boorish townswomen. The chubby and homely aunts enjoying the women-only party provide a cheerful and jolly mood. These seven Otafuku-faced women are also a parody of the seven gods of good fortune, which bring goodwill and vital energy. This multiple play of themes shows Kyōsai’s creative approach to injecting new twists on a conventional subject.