The Hole in the Wall
1765
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
25.8 × 18.5 cm (10 1/8 × 7 1/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
44234
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This is a calendar print for 1765 (second year of the Meiwa era). The numbers for the short months appear in the pattern of the girl’s robe, and the long months are given in the man’s robe. The design recalls the Hole-in-the-Wall affair from the Tales of Ise, a ninth-century collection of vignettes about the poet Narihira (825–880) and his loves. The book indicates that Narihira visited the empress in secret, entering through a crumbling palace wall, and, when discovered, was sent into exile in ...
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...