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Introduction

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

December 10, 1997 - March 8, 1998

The works of the nineteenth-century printmaker Kuniyoshi and his contemporaries have been described as "decadent" in the traditional history of Japanese printmaking. One glance at the prints exhibited here shows how impressive they are in reality. Kuniyoshi's brilliant colors and bold compositions complement his subjects, which are often drawn from historical narrative or legendary and supernatural tales. His powerful compositions, frequently executed in the form of triptychs, are conceived on a scale unknown before the nineteenth century.

This small exhibition commemorates the two hundredth anniversary of Kuniyoshi's birth on January 1, 1798. The works selected, most of which date to the 1840s and 1850s, convey the richness of the artist's creative imagination and his broad-ranging interests. In addition to his narrative illustrations of historical and legendary subjects, the exhibition includes a Buddhist triptypch, prints of courtesans and genre scenes, bird-and-flower prints, and a sketchbook of preparatory drawings for print compositions.

Kuniyoshi 's prolific output shows how widely his prints were appreciated during his own lifetime. Their vitality, brilliant surfaces, and forcefully expressive designs may still be savored by the contemporary viewer, whose enjoyment begins with an understanding of these qualities of Kuniyoshi 's art.

Selected Objects

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Omiwa, representing the chapter Sakaki (The Sacred Tree) from the Tale of Genji (Sakaki omiwa ), 1845-47

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi escapes assassination on the ship of Yojibei (Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Yojibei), 1847-1852

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi escapes assassination on the ship of Yojibei (Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Yojibei), 1847-1852

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi escapes assassination on the ship of Yojibei (Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Yojibei), 1847-1852

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Tadatsune and the goddess of Mount Fuji (Kennin sannen Minamoto no Yoriie-kyo Fuji no mikari), ca. 1844

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Nitta Tadatsune and the Goddess of Mount Fuji (Kennin sannen Minamoto no Yoriie-kyo Fuji no mikari), ca. 1844

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

The last stand of the Kusunoki at Shijonawate (Nanke yushi shijonawate nite uchijini), 1847-1852

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

The last stand of the Kusunoki at Shijō-nawate (Nanke yūshi shijō-nawate nite uchijini), 1847-1852

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Nitta Tadatsune and the Spirit of Mount Fuji, ca. 1844

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Tadatsune and the goddess of Mount Fuji (Kennin sannen Minamoto no Yoriie-kyo Fuji no mikari), ca. 1844

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Parody of the Sixteen Disciples of Buddha (Mitate Juroku rakan), 1843-1847

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

A Parody of the Sixteen Arhats (Mitate jūroku rakan), 1843-1847

Attributed to Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Preliminary sketch from an album of drawings, ca. 1840 -1860

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi escapes assassination on the ship of Yojibei (Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Yojibei), 1847-1852

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Parody of the Sixteen Disciples of Buddha (Mitate Juroku rakan), 1843-1847

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Parody of the Sixteen Disciples of Buddha (Mitate Juroku rakan), 1843-1847

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Plum trees at night, 1843-47

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Plum trees at night, 1843-47

Utagawa School

Peonies composed of lion dogs (Fukamigusa shishi no irodori), 1847-1852

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

The last stand of the Kusunoki at Shijonawate (Nanke yushi shijonawate nite uchijini), 1847-1852

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

The last stand of the Kusunoki at Shijonawate (Nanke yushi shijonawate nite uchijini), 1847-1852

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Plum trees at night, 1843-47

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Apparition of the large skeleton summoned by Takiyasha, daughter of Taira no Masakado in his haunted Soma Castle in front of Otake Taro Mitsukuni and his retainer, ca. 1844

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Takiyasha Summons a Skeleton to confront Mitsukuni in the Sōma Castle, ca. 1844

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Apparition of the large skeleton summoned by Takiyasha, daughter of Taira no Masakado in his haunted Soma Castle in front of Otake Taro Mitsukuni and his retainer, ca. 1844

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Apparition of the large skeleton summoned by Takiyasha, daughter of Taira no Masakado in his haunted Soma Castle in front of Otake Taro Mitsukuni and his retainer, ca. 1844

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Kiyotaki of the Kamonoya (Kamonoya kiyotaki), 1843-1847

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Chrysanthemums under the moon (Tsuki ni kiku), ca. 1830

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Plum trees at night, 1843-47

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Notes on women's conduct: stretching cloth (Zanketsu no sanpukutsui: Fujin kokoroegusa: harimono ), ca. 1842

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Beauty on a riverbank (Kawagishi ni bijin), ca. 1844

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

The bride's changing of clothes after the wedding ceremony (Konrei ironaoshi zu), 1844-1847

More objects +

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