Description
Harunobu’s version of the sea is harmoniously completed by a trio of elegant figures out for a boating excursion; the water that guides them along is serene and gentle. This print is from a series of “parody prints” or mitate-e: Harunobu played with associated traditional literary sources from both Japan and China, often replacing historic and literary figures with the beautiful young women of his time.
Another impression of this print can be found in Harvard Art Museums.
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.