鈴木春信画「風俗四季歌仙 立春」|The First Day of Spring (Risshun), from the series Fashionable Poetic Immortals of the Four Seasons (Fūzoku shiki Kasen)
ca. 1768
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
11 x 8 1/4 in. (27.9 x 21 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Henry L. Phillips Collection, Bequest of Henry L. Phillips, 1939
Accession Number
JP2776
Tags
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu's *The First Day of Spring (Risshun)*, from the series *able Poetic Immort of the Four Seasons* (ca. 1768), captures the elegance of Edo-period Japan through a delicate woodblock print. This work, measuring just 11 x 8¼ inches, depicts graceful women amid budding trees, evoking the poetic spirit of spring's arrival. Harunobu, a master of ukiyo—the "pictures of the floating world" celebrating everyday beauty—pioneered full-color nishiki-e prints, layering vibrant inks to achieve unprecedented depth and realism. Created during Japan's vibrant Edo period (1615–1868), the print re...
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...