Man and Girl 1789 - 1829

Kitagawa Kikumaro’s ‘Man and Girl’ was made in Japan, around 1810-1830, using woodblock printing. Look closely, and you can see how the wood’s grain subtly comes through in the final print. In this process, a drawing is transferred onto a block of wood, and then carved in relief. Ink is then applied to the raised surface, and the image is transferred to paper. Each color requires a separate block, a painstaking and collaborative process, demanding precision from the artist, carver, and printer. Consider the texture of the paper, its absorbency affecting the ink’s diffusion. The lines that define the figures and their garments are crisp and clean. Notice how the flat planes of color create depth and volume, the subtle variations in tone adding nuance. Woodblock prints like this one were made affordable for a broad audience, as part of a thriving commercial market for art. The images themselves often depicted fashionable figures, actors, and courtesans, reflecting and shaping the tastes of the era. Appreciating the print involves recognizing not only the design and the hand-craft, but the wider network of production and consumption that made it possible.