Smoking on a Bench
1765
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
23.6 × 17.5 cm (9 1/4 × 6 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
44209
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
As she sits on a bench smoking, a young woman is shocked to see a vision of a courtesan appear in the smoke. This work is also a calendar print for the year 1765; the long months appear in the curly-cue pattern on her robe. The print bears no signature, though it has been attributed to Harunobu, as have many unsigned egoyomi of the period.
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...