Liefdespaar

About this artwork

kleurenhoutsnede; lijnblok in zwart met kleurblokken

Art Historical Context

**LiefdespaarLovers)** by Suzuki Harunobu created in 1768, is a delicate color woodcut measuring 201 mm high by 269 mm wide. This intimate scene captures a tender moment between lovers, a recurring motif in Harunobu's oeuvre that celebrates human connection amid the ephemeral pleasures of Edo-period Japan. As one of the earliest masters of full-color nishiki-e prints, Harunobu brought unprecedented vibrancy to ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" focused on beauty, theater, and romance. Harunobu pioneered multi-block color printing around 1765, transforming the traditional black-and-...

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...