Dubbelportret van Arashi Kichisaburo en Nakamura Utaemon 1820s

This is a woodblock print by Shunkōsai Hokushū, likely made in the 1820s. It depicts the actors Arashi Kichisaburo and Nakamura Utaemon, recognizable in part through their elaborately patterned kimonos and stylized makeup. What might seem like a relatively straightforward process of carving and printing is actually quite complex. First, the artist would create a drawing, which was then carefully transferred to a block of wood, usually cherry. Specialist carvers then used a range of tools to cut away the areas that would not be printed, leaving the lines and shapes in relief. Next, printers applied water-based inks to the block and pressed paper onto its surface. For a multi-colored print like this one, a separate block would be required for each color, demanding extremely precise alignment. The commercial context is important: prints like this one were essentially mass-produced images, made available at relatively low cost to a wide audience. They give us a direct line to the popular culture of the time. In looking at this print, we can see beyond the supposed divide between high art and everyday making.