Acteursportret met gedicht
1762
Medium
color woodcut
Dimensions
164; 391
About this artwork
blad: hoogte 391 mm x breedte 164 mm
Art Historical Context
"Acteursportret met gedicht" (Actor Portrait with Poem), created by Kitao Shigemasa in 1762, is a striking example of Edo-period Japanese woodblock printing. Shigemasa, a prominent ukiyo-e artist known for his refined lines and vibrant colors, captures the theatrical world in this vertical color woodcut measuring 391 mm high by 164 mm wide. This narrow, elongated format was ideal for displaying actor portraits, allowing them to be easily viewed or collected by fans. In the bustling culture of 18th-century Japan, ukiyo-e prints like this celebrated the "floating world" of kabuki theater, geish...
About the Artist
Kitao Shigemasa · 1739–1820
Kitao Shigemasa (1739–1820), born in the bustling Nihonbashi district of Edo (modern Tokyo), emerged as a pivotal figure in ukiyo-e woodblock printing during Japan's Edo period. The eldest son of the bookseller Suharaya Mohei—from a lineage of publishers—Shigemasa, originally named Kitabatake Tarōkichi, was immersed in the world of printing from youth. Largely self-taught, he later studied under t...