The Poetess Ono no Komachi
Edo period (1615–1868), 1767/68
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
28.6 × 20.7 cm (11 1/4 × 8 1/8 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
20825
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu's *The Poetess Ono noachi* (1767/68) the ethereal beauty of one of Japan's most legendary female poets from the Heian period (794–1185). Ono no Komachi, celebrated as one of the "Thirty-Six Poetry Immortals was renowned for her poignant waka poems on love, longing, and impermanence, as well as her legendary allure. Harunobu, a master of ukiyo-e—the "pictures of the floating world"—depicts her in a graceful, intimate pose, evoking the of Edo-period (1615–1868) fascination with historical beauties. This color woodblock print, in the compact chuban format (28.6 × 20.7 cm), showca...
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...