Acteur Iwai Hanshiro IV in het dagelijks leven

About this artwork

blad: hoogte 329 mm (hosoban) x breedte 148 mm

Art Historical Context

Torii Kiyonaga's *Acteur Iwai Hansiro IV in het dagelijks leven* (Actor Iwai Hanshiro IV in Everyday Life), created between 1782 and 1786, a captivating glimpse into Edo-period Japan through the lens of ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" that celebrated fleeting pleasures like theater and daily life. Kiyonaga, a master the Torii school renowned for yakusha-e (actor prints), masterfully blends portraiture with subtle narrative, depicting the celebrated kabuki onnagata (female role specialist) Iwai Hanshiro IV in a relaxed, off-stage moment. This hosoban-format woodcut—narrow and vert...

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...