Rijstplanters

About this artwork

Drie mensen werkend in een rijstveld, een vierde op de dijk staand bij een mand; vrouw met kind aan linker hand, lopend met mand op hoofd; de berg Fuji op de achtergrond.

Art Historical Context

Suzuki Harunobu's *Rijstplanters* (Rice Planters), created between 1763 and 1767, captures a serene moment of rural Japanese life through the delicate art of color woodcut. This narrow vertical print (310mm high by 138mm wide) three figures laboring in a lush rice paddy, with a fourth standing on a nearby dyke beside a basket. To the left, a woman purposefully with a basket balanced on her head, a child clinging to her hand while the iconic Mount Fuji looms majestically in the background. Harunobu, a master of ukiyo-e—"pictures of the floating world"—brings everyday beauty to life with his inn...

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...