print, woodblock-print
water colours
ink painting
asian-art
ukiyo-e
japan
woodblock-print
orientalism
line
Dimensions 7 13/16 × 6 15/16 in. (19.9 × 17.6 cm) (image, sheet, shikishiban)
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai created this print, "The Chapters -The Twilight Beauty," using woodblock printing techniques. The composition is striking; a fan dominates the upper half, adorned with delicate blossoms, while a patterned garment spills from a box below. The juxtaposition of these elements creates a visual interplay between the natural and the crafted. Shinsai masterfully uses the fan's shape to frame the blossoms. The lines of the fan's structure direct the eye to the delicate floral arrangement, which contrasts with the geometric patterns of the fabric below. This juxtaposition hints at a semiotic dialogue, where the transient beauty of nature is set against the structured world of human creation. Notice how the artist uses color to subtly destabilize expectations. The muted palette, punctuated by touches of red, creates a sense of understated elegance. This reflects a broader philosophical theme of finding beauty in simplicity. The arrangement and its formal qualities invite us to continually reinterpret its cultural and philosophical resonance.
Comments
The objects and the three poems above them make reference to three successive chapters of The Tale of Genji, chapters 4, 5, and 6, each of which details Genji’s initial encounter with a girl. In chapter 4 he meets Yūgao (“Twilight Beauty”), who dies soon after they’ve made love, having been possessed by the spirit of one of Genji’s earlier lovers. In chapter 5 he meets Murasaki, a young girl who resembles Genji’s own stepmother, with whom he had an earlier affair. Genji abducts Murasaki and, though they never marry, she becomes the most important love of his life. In the next chapter Genji meets Suetsumuhana (“The Safflower”), a girl of high rank but who lacks grace and thus does not attract Genji.
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