Description
This illustration comes from volume one of Harunobu's 1771 illustrated book titled The Brocade of Spring. It was originally published by Kinbei Yamazaki with carving by Matsugoro Endo and preface by the author Hekigyokudo. Though the book was released in 1771, it would have been completed before the artist's death in 1770.
About the artist
Often called the “father of color printing,” Harunobu Suzuki was an 18th-century ukiyo-e artist. From shunga (erotic prints) to witty literary allusions, Harunobu’s woodblock prints cross genres with delicate beauties and masterful color. While little is known about his early life, Harunobu lived and worked in Edo. He is said to have studied with Shigenaga Nishimura (1697-1756). Early in his career, Harunobu produced actor prints in a style influenced by ukiyo-e artists such as Toyonobu, Sukenobu, and the Torii school. However, he refined his style through images of willowy beauties of Edo’s teashouses and the Yoshiwara, Edo’s legalized prostitution district. In the spring of 1765, Edo saw the first full-color prints, known as nishiki-e (brocade pictures). Commissioned by wealthy patrons, the first full-color prints took the form of egoyomi (calendar prints). Intricately designed and lavishly printed, these privately printed were soon released in separate, public editions through publishers and booksellers. Though Harunobu Suzuki did not invent full-color printing, his mastery of the technique earned him the moniker “father of color printing.” He captured the urban, everyday world of Edo in brilliant color. His style and playful wit would influence many ukiyo-e artists to come. Over the course of his career Harunobu produced over 500 printed works, as well as many paintings, before his death in 1770. Today, his works are exceptionally rare.