Mitate Yoshiwara Goju-san Tsui - Beauty 

Keisai Eisen created this Japanese woodblock print around the mid-19th century. It is made through a meticulous process: the artist would have first made a drawing, then skilled block cutters would carve separate woodblocks for each color in the final print. The distinct character of the image arises from this method. Notice the flat planes of color, the crisp outlines, and the way patterns are layered to create the courtesan's elaborate kimono. These features are all enabled by the woodblock technique. This was a painstaking, labor-intensive process, involving the collaboration of artist, carver, and printer. These prints were produced for mass consumption, indicative of an increasingly commercial culture. Looking closely, one can see the trace of the artisan’s hand in the final image. So, while this print might seem like a straightforward, reproducible image, it is in fact deeply rooted in the traditions of craft, labor, and the socio-economic context of its time.