Description
On the back, a certificate printed by Shin Ukiyo-e Bijin Awase Kanko-sha states: "Nakayama Shuko is respected for his skill in drawing beautiful women and historical figures. He has won several prizes at exhibitions sponsored by the Department of Cultural Affairs. This print depicts a beautiful woman holding an umbrella who must be 28 or 29 years old, in Tokyo on a rainy day. Her beauty catches the viewer's eye. Sixty printing passes were required to render the hair and face, and a total of one hundred passes were made to reproduce the original painting."
About the artist
Shuko Nakayama was a nihonga painter and print designer active during the early 20th century. Born in Tokyo in 1876, Shuko began his artistic education as a student of Toshikata Mizuno. In 1908, Shuko found a new mentor in the painter and Shin Hanga artist Shinsui Ito. Shuko’s known prints consist of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) designed in the spirit of the Shin Hanga movement. In 1924, he contributed to the series New Ukiyo-e Beauties along with several other artists. Rendered in pastel colors and soft edges, Shuko’s beauties wear fashionable kimono in their half portraits. His year of death is unknown.