Ma Lin (Tettekisen Barin), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
c. 1827/30
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
38.6 × 26.4 cm (15 3/16 × 10 3/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
130717
Art Historical Context
Behold the dynamic woodblock print *Ma Lin (Tettek Barin)* by Utagawa Kuniy, created around 1827–30 as part of his renowned series *One Hundred and Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)*. oban-sized color print (38.6 × 26.4 cm) Ma Lin, one of the108 outlaw heroes from the classic Chinese novel *Water Margin* (Shui Hu Zhuan), known in Japan as *Suikoden*. Kuniyoshi, a master of the ukiyo-e tradition, portrays the warrior in a fierce, exaggerated pose, embodying the rebellious spirit of these bandit knights who defied corrupt officials. During Jap...
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...