Rural Scene in Early Summer: Peasants Transplanting Rice and a Man Washing a Horse
late 1790s
Medium
Color woodblock print; long surimono
Dimensions
18.5 × 52.4 cm (7 5/16 × 20 5/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
81444
Art Historical Context
In the late 1790s, Japanese artist Katsukawa Shun'ei captured the rhythms of rural life in his color woodblock print *Rural Scene in Early Summer: Peasants Transplanting Rice and a Man Washing a Horse A master of the ukiyo-e tradition—meaning "pictures of the floating world"—Shun'ei, from the esteemed Katsukawa school, typically depicted kabuki actors but here turned to pastoral scenes. This long surimono, a luxurious privately commissioned print measuring 18.5 × 52.4 cm, showcases the horizontal format ideal for panoramic views, often produced for elite patrons with enhanced details like subt...
About the Artist
Katsukawa Shun'ei · 1762–1819
Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762–1819) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who succeeded his master Katsukawa Shunshō as head of the Katsukawa school around 1800, continuing and advancing the school's innovations in kabuki actor portraiture. Born on December 13, 1762, into a landlord family with the surname Isoda, Shun'ei trained under Shunshō from his youth and became one of the most accomplished designers of y...