Flirting Lovers
c. 1673/81
Medium
Woodblock print; sumizuri-e, oban yoko-e
Dimensions
27.1 × 38.4 cm (10 11/16 × 15 1/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
130213
Art Historical Context
Hishikawa Moronobu's *Flirting Lovers* (c. 1673/81) captures a playful moment of courtship in Japan's vibrant Edo period, rendered in the pioneering style of ukiyo-e, or "pictures of the floating world." This woodblock print depicts an intimate encounter between lovers, evoking the era's fascination with romance, theater, and urban pleasures. Moronobu, one of the first masters of ukiyo-e, helped popularize affordable, mass-produced prints that brought art to everyday people, bridging the gap between elite painting and public culture. Printed as a *sumizuri-e*—a monochrome ink design on a larg...
About the Artist
Hishikawa Moronobu
Hishikawa Moronobu (1618–1694) holds an unassailable position in Japanese art history as the founder of ukiyo-e, the 'pictures of the floating world' that would become Japan's most internationally recognized art form. Born in the provincial town of Yasuda during the early Edo period, Moronobu transformed woodblock printing from a purely utilitarian craft into an independent artistic medium, establ...