"Ukiyo-e" depict the "uki (floating, fun)" world, and were popularized between the 17th and 19th centuries among the Edo public. Ukiyo-e can be divided largely into "hanga" prints that are mass-produced and "nikuhitsu-ga" that were custom-drawn per individual request. Most of the subjects of "nikuhitsu-ga" were characters that interested the public such as beautiful women from the red light district, sumo wrestlers and kabuki actors. The Otani Collection nikuhitsu-ga ukiyo-e, housed at this museum, are all also individually drawn.
The works in this exhibition cover a period of 250 years and comprise pictures of beautiful ladies, particularly those ladies living, acting and entertaining in the red light district. Beauty in the Edo era was not uniform, and the changes in aesthetic consciousness according to the passage of time can be seen in the drawn figures and body types. These changes are highlighted in this exhibition by displaying the works by period or school. 50 works will be on display.
Gallery Talk by museum curators: July 28th, August 4th 14:00-
[Image: Chikanobu Matsuno "Mitate Murasakishikibu Figure" First half of the 18th century, Otani collection]
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