A Fan Suggesting a Dispersed Storm (Sensu no seiran) from the series "Eight Scenes of the Parlor (Zashiki hakkei)"
c. 1777
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
25.8 × 19.4 cm (10 3/16 × 7 11/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
36380
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan, Toriiiyonaga (1752–1815) crafted *A Fan Suggesting aispersed Storm (Sensu seiran)* around 7 as part of his series *Eight Scenes of Parlor (Zash hakkei)*. This color woodblock print, a chuban format measuring 25.8 × .4 cm, reines the classic Chinese "Eight Views of-Xiang" landscapes in intimate domestic settings. Here, a graceful woman holds a fan that poetically evokes a storm dispersing, blending everyday elegance with subtle natural drama. Kiyonaga, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, excelled in bijin-ga—depictions...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonaga · 1752–1815
Torii Kiyonaga, born Sekiguchi Shinsuke in 1752 in Uraga, Sagami Province, was the son of an Edo bookseller who owned tenements near a bustling fish market. At age 14 in 1765, he began his apprenticeship under Torii Kiyomitsu, the third-generation head of the prestigious Torii school of ukiyo-e, renowned for kabuki theater illustrations and signage. Adopted into the Torii family, Kiyonaga succeede...