Dong Yong (Toei), from the series "Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety as a Mirror for Children (Nijushiko doji kagami)"
c. 1843
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
24 × 36.2 cm (9 7/16 × 14 1/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
7565
Art Historical Context
Behold the captivating woodblock print *Dong Yong (Toei)* by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, created around 1843 as part of the series *-four Paragons of Filial Piety as a Mirror Children (Nijushiko doji kagami)*. This oban-sized color woodblock print (24 × 36.2 cm) depicts the legendary Chinese tale of Dong Yong, a son who sold himself into servitude to properly bury his late father—a timeless emblem of filial piety. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia department, it exemplifies Kuniyoshi's mastery in ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" genre that brought art to everyday Japane...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi · 1797–1861
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) was born in Edo to the silk-dyer Yanagiya Kichiyemon, originally bearing the childhood name Yoshisaburō. From a young age, he assisted in his family's pattern design work, which sharpened his innate mastery of color and textile motifs that would permeate his later prints. At around twelve years old, his prodigious drawing skills drew the attention of the renowned Utag...