A Woman Kneeling 1792 - 1801

"A Woman Kneeling" was made by Chōkōsai Eishō in the late 1790s from ink on paper. This Japanese woodblock print comes from a long and highly developed graphic tradition. At first glance, the image seems very simple, just black lines on a cream background. But the longer you look, the more you realize how much skill was required to make it. Woodblock printing involves carving away at a block to leave a raised design. The block is then inked and pressed onto paper. Consider the line work in this print: thin, consistent, confident. The artist has used line alone to convey a sense of form, volume, and texture. Notice how the lines vary in thickness to suggest light and shadow. How the patterns on the woman's robes suggest the drape and fall of the fabric. How much labor must have been required to carve such fine details into a block. Eishō’s print demonstrates how the so-called 'minor' arts demand as much creativity and expertise as painting or sculpture.