Clearing Breeze from a Fan (Ogi no seiran)
c. 1772
Medium
Color woodblock print; koban, trimmed
Dimensions
17.8 × 18.5 cm (7 × 7 1/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22430
Art Historical Context
**Clearing Breeze from a (Ogi no seiran)** Kitao Shigemasa, c. 1772 woodblock print; koban, trimmed .8 × 18.5 cm (7 × 7 1/4 in.) Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Asia Step into the graceful world of Edo-period Japan with Kitao Shigemasa's *Clearing Breeze from a (Ogi no seiran)*, a charming color woodblock print from around 1772. Shigemasa, a versatile ukiyo-e master for his illustrations and bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women), captures a poetic moment likely evoking a woman wielding an ogi fan to stir a refreshing breeze. The intimate koban format—compact and square-like—made...
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...