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人物略画式|How to Draw Figures Simply (Jinbutsu ryakugashiki) 人物略画式

Kuwagata Keisai 鍬形蕙斎

1799, early winter (Kansei 11)

人物略画式|How to Draw Figures Simply (Jinbutsu ryakugashiki) 人物略画式 by Kuwagata Keisai 鍬形蕙斎

Medium

Set of three woodblock printed books; ink and color on paper

Dimensions

10 1/2 × 7 3/16 in. (26.7 × 18.3 cm)

Classification

Illustrated Books

Culture & Period

Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)

Department

Asian Art

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Purchase, Mary and James G. Wallach Foundation Gift, 2013

Accession Number

2013.772

Tags

AnimalsMenWomen

Art Historical Context

**Jinbutsu Ryakugashiki: How to Figures Simply** (1799) by Kuwagata Keisai is charming set of three woodblock books from Japan's Edo period (16151868). Created in the early winter of Kansei 11, these compact volumes (10½ × 7⅜ in.) use ink and color on paper offer practical lessons in simplified figure drawing. Keisai, a prolific ukiyo-e artist for his accessible instructional works, captures everyday subjects like men, women, and animals in dynamic poses, making art education approachable for amateurs. This *ryakuga-shiki* (abbreviated drawing manual) reflects the Edo era's booming print cult...

About the Artist

Kuwagata Keisai 鍬形蕙斎 (Japanese) · 1764 –1824

Japanese, 1764–1824

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