The Actors Onoe Kikugoro I and Utagawa Shirogoro
c. 1747
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban, benizuri-e
Dimensions
28.7 × 14.5 cm (11 5/16 × 5 11/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19379
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo (modern-day Tokyo), Tor Kiyomasu II craftedThe Actors Onoe Kikugoro I and Utagawa Shirogoro* around 1747. As a master of the Torii school, renowned for yakusha-e (actor prints), Kiyomasu II captured the dramatic flair of kabuki theater stars. This hosoban—a narrow, vertical format ideal for single-sheet prints—cases Onoe Kikugoro I, a celebrated onnagata (female impersonator), alongside Utagawa Shirogoro, freezing their expressive poses mid-performance for theater fans. Printed as a benizuri-e, or "rose-colored print," the work employs an innovative ea...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomasu II · 1706–1763
At one point this artist was incorrectly identified as Kiyonobu II.