Description
Truly elegant in appearance and graceful in pose, Shinsui’s bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) earned him a reputation as an unrivaled painter of women and a master of design. In After Washing Her Hair, Shinsui’s anonymous beauty glides a comb through damp hair, unaware of her audience. Set against summer clouds, the beauty wears a brightly patterned yukata, her pale skin brought to life with faint touches of pink on her fingertips and cheeks. With strong color, impression, and condition, this is a fine example of this design.
About the artist
Truly elegant in appearance and graceful in pose, Shinsui Ito’s bijin-ga have earned him a reputation as an unrivaled painter of women and a master of design. Shinsui was born in Tokyo as Hajime Ito. He began his artistic training at age 12 in the drawing department of the Tokyo Printing Company before joining the workshop of the painter Kiyokata Kaburagi. By 1916, Shinsui completed his first woodblock print, followed a year later by the series Eight Views of Lake Biwa. Between 1922 and 1923, Shinsui designed his first set of the beauties (Twelve Figures of New Beauties), followed by two installments of Series of Modern Beauties (1929-1931 and 1931-1936). While most recognized for his bijin-ga, Shinsui continued to work as a painter. In 1952, his mastery of woodblock design was designated as Intangible Cultural Property, an event commemorated with the print Tresses (1952). Appointed to the Japan Art Academy in 1958, Shinsui received the Order of the Rising Sun in 1970 before his death in 1972.