Cricket and vuurvliegjes on polygonum and reeds 1788

This print, Cricket and vuurvliegjes on polygonum and reeds, was made by Kitagawa Utamaro using woodblock printing, a demanding process that requires carving a separate block for each color. The image shows a cluster of grasses and insects, rendered in shades of grey and black, with an area of accompanying Japanese text. Notice how the linear quality of the print emphasizes the delicate forms of nature. Woodblock printing allowed for multiples, and the wide distribution of imagery. It was a highly commercialized form of production, yet the works themselves were often of extremely high quality. Utamaro, along with other Japanese artists, made the most of this apparent contradiction, creating works that could be appreciated for their artistic merit. Despite being made through mechanized means, these prints are full of the artist's sensibility, their vision of the natural world. This print challenges the traditional distinction between craft and art.