Description
From Ukiyo-e Project: "This image of Paul Stanley putting on makeup is based on Utagawa Kuniyoshi's Men of Ready Money with True Labels Attached, Kuniyoshi Style (Token Gonbei, Kuniyoshi Moyo Shofuda Tsuketari Genkin Otoko). A lot of Ishikawa's ukiyo-e are influenced by Kuniyoshi and this piece was created as a tribute to the artist. The pattern of the kimono is called jigoku-ezu (inferno picture). Gene Simmons is the Great King Yama, and the other two are the ogres. The logos on the obi (kimono belt) are the members' makeup design arranged into Japanese-style family crests, while the pattern 力 of the towel slung over Paul's left shoulder is inspired by Eric Singer's outfit. The script above Paul is the Japanese translation of KISS' famous lyrics, "I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day. You keep on shoutin', you keep on shoutin" from their hit song Rock and Roll All Nite." (Credits: 2015 KISS Catalog, Ltd. Under License to Epic Rights, Ukiyo-e Project)
About the artist
With offices in LA and in Tokyo, UKIYO-E PROJECT is a contemporary ukiyo-e publisher founded by Yuka Mitsui in 2014 to keep ukiyo-e craftsmanship thriving by creating a new market for their traditional skills. As the words “ukiyo” and “e” mean “present” and “image” respectively, ukiyo-e naturally depicted popular trends and cultures of their times. Staying true to this philosophy, UKIYO-E PROJECT immortalizes iconic stars and landscapes of today through traditional ukiyo-e woodblock prints, which continue to receive extensive press and have been acquired by international institutions such as the British Museum, the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna (MAK), and the Miami University Libraries.