Young Woman Dressed as a Mendicant Monk
c. 1770
Medium
Color woodblock print; hashira-e
Dimensions
68.3 × 12.7 cm (26 7/8 × 5 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22970
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu's *Young Woman Dressed as Mendicant Monk* (c. 1770) is a captivating example of ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" genre that flourished in Edo-period Japan (1603–1868). This color woodblock print depicts a youthful woman playfully disguised as a wandering mendicant monk, themes of beauty, disguise, and everyday life. Harunobu, a pioneering artist, revolutionized printmaking by introducing full-color nishiki-e techniques around 1765, allowing for vibrant hues and subtle gradations that brought his subjects to life with unprecedented realism and elegance. The artwork...
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...