Night scence aboard a pleasure boat
c. 1830's
Medium
Color woodblock print; shikishiban diptych, surimono
Dimensions
21.2 × 37.1 cm (8 3/8 × 14 5/8 in.)
Classification
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
81317
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the vibrant world of 19th-century Japan, Utagawa Kuniyoshi's *Night Scene Aboard a Pleasure Boat* (c. 1830s) captures the fleeting pleasures of Edo's nightlife. This color woodblock print, a shikishiban diptych—two square panels joined for a panoramic view—measures a intimate 21.2 × 37.1 cm, perfect for private appreciation. Kuniyoshi, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, was renowned for his dynamic warrior prints and whimsical subjects, but here he turns his keen eye to the luminous allure of urban leisure. As a *surimono*, this deluxe print was l...
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...