The Actor Onoe Matsusuke I and a geisha, from an untitled series of prints showing Actors in private life
c. 1783
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
30.5 × 15.5 cm (12 1/16 × 6 1/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22762
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1603–1868), Torii Kiyonaga's *The Actor Onoe Matsus I and a geisha* (c. 1783) captures a rare glimpse into the private lives of kabuki stars. Part of an untitled series depicting actors offstage, this color woodblock print showcases Onoe Matsusuke I, a celebrated performer, in an intimate moment with a geisha. Such scenes reflect the "floating world" (ukiyo-e) culture, where theater luminaries mingled with entertainers, blurring the lines between public fame and personal leisure amid 18th-century Tokyo's bustling pleasure districts. Kiyonaga, a master...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonaga · 1752–1815
Torii Kiyonaga, born Sekiguchi Shinsuke in 1752 in Uraga, Sagami Province, was the son of an Edo bookseller who owned tenements near a bustling fish market. At age 14 in 1765, he began his apprenticeship under Torii Kiyomitsu, the third-generation head of the prestigious Torii school of ukiyo-e, renowned for kabuki theater illustrations and signage. Adopted into the Torii family, Kiyonaga succeede...