Women watching fireworks at Sumida River
c. 1795/96
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban triptych
Dimensions
38.3 × 75.2 cm (15 1/16 × 29 5/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
110740
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1603–1868), Kitagawa Utam captures a moment of communal delight in *Women Watching Fireworks at Sumida* (c. 1795/96). This color woodblock print, anan triptych—three joined sheets forming a panoramic scene—icts elegant women perched on the riverbank, their kimonos fluttering as they gaze at exploding fireworks over the Sumida River in Ryogoku, Tokyo. The annual fireworks festival was a highlight of summer entertainment, drawing crowds to celebrate fleeting beauty amid the "floating world" of ukiyo-e culture. Utamaro, a master of bijin-ga (images of be...
About the Artist
Kitagawa Utamaro · 1753–1806
Kitagawa Utamaro (c. 1753-1806) was one of the most celebrated masters of ukiyo-e woodblock printing, revolutionizing the art of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) during Japan's Edo period. Born Kitagawa Ichitaro, his early life remains shrouded in mystery, with conflicting accounts placing his birth in Kyoto, Osaka, Yoshiwara in Edo (modern Tokyo), or Kawagoe in Musashi Province. Under the t...