The Actor Segawa Kikunojo II
c. 1770
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
29.9 × 13.4 cm (11 3/4 × 5 1/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19951
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo (modern-day Tokyo), Torii Kiyomitsu I's *The Actor Segawa Kikuno II* (c. 1770) captures the allure of Kabuki theater through a masterful color woodblock print.omitsu, a leading figure in the Torii school of ukiyo-e—"pictures of the floating world"—specialized in yakusha-e, dynamic portraits of actors that brought the stage's drama into everyday life. This hosoban format, a narrow vertical sheet measuring just 29.9 × 13.4 cm, was ideal for affordable, portable prints popular among urban fans. The medium's brilliance lies in its layered woodblock techniq...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomitsu I · 1735–1785
Japanese, 1735–1785