Beauty and Young Man Riding an Ox (parody of Kyoyu and Sobu?)
c. 1740s
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban, benizuri-e
Dimensions
31.8 × 15.3 cm (12 1/2 × 6 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19418
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo Japan, Nishimura Shigenaga crafted *Beauty and Young Man Riding Ox (parody of Kyoyu Sobu?)* around the 1740s. This charming woodblock print belongs to the ukiyo-e tradition—"pictures of the floating world"—celebrating fleeting pleasures like beauty, humor, and everyday whimsy. Shigenaga, a master of the early ukiyo-e school, delighted audiences with his playful depictions of courtesans (bijin-ga) and theatrical scenes, blending elegance with satire. Here, the title hints at a lighthearted parody of a possibly Chinese literary motif, pairing a graceful b...
About the Artist
Nishimura Shigenaga · 1690–1758
Nishimura Shigenaga (c. 1697–1756) was a pioneering Japanese ukiyo-e printmaker born in Edo (modern-day Tokyo), where he initially worked as a landlord in the Tōriabura-chō district before relocating to Kanda-Sakumachō to operate a bookshop. Self-taught with no known formal teacher, he immersed himself in art around 1719, drawing early inspiration from the Torii school's yakusha-e (actor portraits...