Competition of Contemporary Fashions: Sexy Beauty
19th century
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image: 11 3/8 x 8 3/4 in. (28.9 x 22.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005
Accession Number
2007.49.267
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created during Japan’s Edo period (1615–1868), *Competition of Contemporary Fashions: Sexy Beauty* exemplifies the vibrant world of ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Artist Utagawa Kunisada, one of the most prolific masters of the genre, captured the fleeting elegance of everyday life through images of fashionable women. The title suggests a playful exploration of beauty ideals and clothing trends popular in 19th-century urban Japan, where such prints served as both art and informal fashion plates. Rendered in ink and color on paper, the work highlights the technical sophistication of Japanese woodbl...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kunisada · 1786–1864
**Utagawa Kunisada (1786–1865)** Born in 1786 in the Honjo district of Edo (modern Tokyo), Utagawa Kunisada hailed from a family with a hereditary ferry-boat service that provided financial stability, allowing him to pursue art from a young age. His father, an amateur poet of note, died shortly after his birth, leaving young Sumida Shōgorō (Kunisada's childhood name) to nurture his evident talent...