Girl Riding a Crane (parody of Hi Chobo [Chinese: Fei Zhangfang])

Art Historical Context

Suzuki Harunobu *Girl Riding a Crane (c. 176/67) is a delightful color wood print in the chuban format, measuring a compact 27.5 × 20 cm. Produced during Japan's Edo period, this intimate artwork exemplifies Harunobu's pioneering role ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" genre that captured fleeting pleasures and beauty. Harunobu was the first artist to commercially produce full-colorishiki-e prints around 1765, revolutionizing woodblock printing with vibrant hues achieved through multiple carved blocks and precise hand-coloring. The title playfully parodies the Chinese legend of Fei...

About the Artist

Suzuki Harunobu · 1725–1770

Suzuki Harunobu (c. 1725-1770) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who revolutionized woodblock printing by developing nishiki-e—full-color prints using multiple woodblocks—in 1765. Before Harunobu, Japanese prints were limited to two or three colors; his innovation unleashed the entire artist's palette, transforming ukiyo-e into the vibrant art form that would later captivate Western artists from Manet...