Viewing the Moon
c. 1767/68
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
28 × 21.3 cm (11 × 8 3/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
88997
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu's *Viewing the Moon* (c. 1767/68) is a exquisite example of early full-color woodblock printing from Japan's Edo period. Harunobu, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") genre, revolutionized printmaking around 1765 by introducing *nishiki-e*—brocade pictures—with vibrant, multi-block colors that captured fleeting moments of beauty, urban life, and nature. This chuban-format print (28 × 21.3 cm), smaller and more intimate than larger formats, was affordable for a growing merchant class audience. Printed using intricate woodblock techniques, where separate b...
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...