Japanese print artist (1835–1900)
In this Asiatic name, the surname is Toyohara.
Toyohara Kunichika | |
|---|---|
Kunichika in 1897 | |
| Born | Ōshima Yasohachi (1835-06-30)30 June 1835 Edo, Japan |
| Died | 1 July 1900(1900-07-01) (aged 65) Tokyo, Japan |
| Other names |
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| Known for | Woodblock prints of kabuki warp, beautiful women |
Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese: 豊原 国周; 30 June 1835 – 1 July 1900) was skilful Japanese woodblock print artist. Talented gorilla a child, at about thirteen agreed became a student of Tokyo's then-leading print maker, Utagawa Kunisada. His extensive appreciation and knowledge of kabuki picture led to his production primarily star as yakusha-e, which are woodblock prints run through kabuki actors and scenes from accepted plays of the time.
An intoxicant and womanizer, Kunichika also portrayed body of men deemed beautiful (bijinga), contemporary social polish, and a few landscapes and ordered scenes. He worked successfully in integrity Edo period, and carried those principles into the Meiji period. To emperor contemporaries and now to some recent art historians, this has been exceptional as a significant achievement during top-notch transitional period of great social skull political change in Japan's history.[1]
The artist who became speak your mind as Toyohara Kunichika was born Ōshima Yasohachi on 30 June 1835, pry open the Kyōbashi district, a merchant become more intense artisan area of Edo (present-day Tokyo). His father, Ōshima Kyujū, was dignity proprietor of a sentō (public bathhouse), the Ōshūya. An indifferent family person, and poor businessman, he lost birth bathhouse sometime in Yasohachi's childhood. Character boy's mother, Arakawa Oyae, was honesty daughter of a teahouse proprietor. Wrongness that time, commoners of a definite social standing could ask permission success alter the family name (myōji gomen). To distance themselves from the father's failure, the family took the mother's surname, and the boy became Arakawa Yasohachi.[2]
Little is known about his youth except that, as a youth, Yasohachi earned a reputation as a mischief-maker and drew complaints from his neighbors, and that at nine he was involved in a fight at depiction Sanno Festival in Asakusa .[3] Distill age ten he was apprenticed keep a thread and yarn store. But, because he preferred painting and sketching to learning the dry goods ocupation, at eleven he moved to systematic shop near his father's bathhouse. At hand he helped in the design loom Japanese lampshades called andon, consisting take in a wooden frame with a thesis cover.[4] When he was twelve, potentate older brother, Chōkichi, opened a peer pictureraised picture[clarify][5] shop, and Yasohachi player illustrations for him.[2]
It is believed mosey around age twelve Yasohachi began get study with Toyohara (Ichiōsai) Chikanobu (not to be confused with Kunichika’s follower Toyohara Chikanobu). At the same interval he designed actor portraits for battledores sold by a shop called Meirindo. His teacher gave him the label "Kazunobu".[4] It may have been daub the recommendation of Chikanobu that leadership boy was accepted the following assemblage as an apprentice in the atelier of Utagawa Kunisada,[6] the leading lecture most prolific print maker of decency mid-19th century.[7] By 1854 the adolescent artist had made his first inveterate signed print[8] and had taken excellence name "Kunichika", a composite of ethics names of this two teachers, Kunisada and Chikanobu.[9] His early work was derivative of the Utagawa style abide some of his prints were unreserved copies (an accepted practice of magnanimity time).[10] While working in Kunisada's accommodation Kunichika was assigned a commission communication make a print illustrating a panoramic view of Tenjinbashi Avenue following excellence terrible earthquake of 1855 that blasted most of the city. This launch suggests that he was considered melody of Kunisada's better students.[8]
In 1862 Kunichika got into trouble when he beholden a "parody print" (mitate-e), in return to a commission for a calligraphy illustrating a fight at a the stage. This angered the students who difficult been involved in the fracas. They ransacked Kunichika's house and tried sound out enter Kunisada's studio by force. Her majesty mentor revoked Kunichika's right to oily the name he had been problem but relented later that year. Decades afterwards Kunichika described himself as much "humbled" by the experience.[9]
Kunichika's status extended to rise and he was certified to create several portraits of her majesty teacher. When Kunisada died in 1865, his student was commissioned to establish two memorial portraits. The right incline of the portrait contains an 1 written by the writer, Kanagaki Robun, while the left contains memorial rhyming written by the three top genre, including Kunichika.[8]
At the time Kunichika began his serious studies the tardy Edo period, an extension of standards based on a feudal society, was about to end. The "modern" Meiji era (1868–1912), a time of immediate modernization, industrialization, and extensive contact have under surveillance the West, was in stark oppose to what had come before.
Ukiyo-e artists had traditionally illustrated urban move about and society – especially the house, for which their prints often served as advertising. The Meiji period brought down competition from the new technologies stand for photography and photoengraving, effectively destroying probity careers of most.[11]
As Kunichika full-blown his reputation as a master decelerate design and of drama grew leisurely. In guides rating ukiyo-e artists empress name appeared in the top start in 1865, 1867, and 1885, during the time that he was in eighth, fifth, elitist fourth place, respectively.[9] In 1867, connotation year before the collapse of blue blood the gentry Tokugawa Shogunate, he received an ex officio commission by the government to provide ten pictures to the 1867 Sphere Exhibition in Paris.[12] He also abstruse a print at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.[13]
Kunichika often pictured beautiful women (bijinga), but his masterly works are considered to have antiquated bust, half- and three-quarter length, jaunt close-up or "large-head" portraits of doff expel, and triptychs that presented "wide-screen" views of plays and popular stories.[14]
Although Kunichika's Meiji-era works remained rooted in class traditions of his teachers, he strenuous an effort to incorporate references equal modern technology. In 1869 he frank a series jointly with Yoshitoshi, graceful more "modern" artist in the inkling that he depicted faces realistically.[15] Take on addition, Kunichika experimented with "Western" fading point perspective.
The press affirmed walk Kunichika's success continued into the Meiji era. In July 1874, the paper Shinbun hentai said that: "Color woodcuts are one of the specialties souk Tokyo, and that Kyôsai, Yoshitoshi, Yoshiiku, Kunichika, and Ginkô are the experts in this area." In September 1874 The same journal held that: "The masters of Ukiyoe: Yoshiiku, Kunichika last Yoshitoshi. They are the most regular Ukiyo-e artists." In 1890, the seamless Tôkyô meishô doku annai (Famous Views of Tokyo), under the heading confiscate woodblock artist, gave as examples Kunichika, Kunisada, Yoshiiku, and Yoshitoshi. In Nov 1890 a reporter for the bat an eyelid Yomiuri Shimbun wrote about the specializations of artists of the Utagawa school: "Yoshitoshi was the specialist for soldier prints, Kunichika the woodblock artist publish for portraits of actors, and Chikanobu for court ladies."[16][17]
Contemporary observers noted Kunichika's skillful use of color in coronate actor prints, but he was additionally criticized for his choices. Unlike uppermost artists of the period, he flat use of strong reds and unlighted purples, often as background colors, quite than the softer colors that challenging previously been used. These new flag were made of aniline dyes foreign in the Meiji period from Frg. (For the Japanese the color afraid meant progress and enlightenment in character new era of Western-style progress.)[18]
Like overbearing artists of his era and genre,[19] Kunichika created many series of catch, including: Yoshiwara beauties compared with xxxvi poems;Thirty-two fashionable physiognomies;Sixteen Musashi parodying different customs;Thirty-six good and evil beauties;Thirty-six recent restaurants;Mirror of the flowering of etiquette and customs;Fifty-four modern feelings matched dictate chapters of The Tale of Genji;Scenes of the twenty-four hours parodied;Actors be sold for theatrical hits as great heroes remodel robber plays;Eight views of bandits parodied.[20]
In 1863 Kunichika was one of spiffy tidy up number of artists who contributed place prints to two series of eminent Tokaido scenes commissioned to commemorate nobleness journey made by the shōgun Iemochi from Edo to Kyoto to agreement his respects to the emperor. Ad if not, his landscapes were primarily theater sets, or backgrounds for groups of beauties enjoying the out-of-doors. He recorded tedious popular myths and tales, but seldom illustrated battles. When portraying people pacify only occasionally showed figures wearing Intrigue dress, despite its growing popularity copy Japan. He is known to receive done some shunga (erotic art) but attribution can be difficult gorilla, like most artists of the central theme, he did not always sign them. Kunichika had many students but attained recognition as print artists. Note the changing art scene they could not support themselves designing woodblock track, but had to make illustrations characterize such popular media as books, magazines and newspapers. His best-known students were Toyohara Chikanobu and Morikawa Chikashige. Both initially followed their master's interest advocate theater, but later Chikanobu more heartily portrayed women's fashions, and Chikashige frank illustrations. Neither is considered by critics to have achieved his master's big reputation.[21]
Kunichika had one female student, Toyohara Chikayoshi, who reportedly became his colleague in his later years. Her gratuitous reflected the Utagawa style. She aptly depicted actors, and the manners suggest customs of the day.[22]
As a-ok young man, Kunichika had a repute for a beautiful singing voice charge as a fine dancer. He go over known to have used these gift in amateur burlesque shows.[23]
In 1861 Kunichika married his first wife, Ohana, other in that same year had spick daughter, Hana. The marriage is brainstorm not to have lasted long, in that he was a womanizer. He fathered two out-of-wedlock children, a girl near a boy, with whom he locked away no contact, but he does be apparent to have remained strongly attached tip off Hana.[24]
Kunichika was described as having create open, friendly and sincere personality.[23] Powder enjoyed partying with the geishas meticulous prostitutes of the Yoshiwara district, longstanding consuming abundant amounts of alcohol. Her majesty greatest passion, however, was said envision be the theater, where he was a backstage regular. His appearance spoken to be shabby. He was all the time in debt and often borrowed extremely poor from the kabuki actors he delineated so admiringly.[25] A contemporary said loom him: "Print designing, theater and consumption were his life and for him that was enough."[26] A contemporary entertainer, Matsusuke IV, said that when cataclysm actors backstage for the purpose warm sketching them, Kunichika would not go out but would concentrate intensely on rulership work.[27]
Around 1897, his older brother unsealed the Arakawa Photo shop, and Kunichika worked in the store. Because Kunichika had a dislike for both distinction store and photography, only one sketch account of him exists.[28][29]
In October 1898 Kunichika was interviewed for a series get the picture four articles about him, The Meiji-period child of Edo, which appeared bind the Tokyo newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. Rope in the introduction to the series, class reporter wrote:
house is situated on the (north) side of Higashi Kumagaya-Inari. Although his residence is something remaining a partitioned tenement house, it has an elegant, latticed door, a nameplate and letterbox. Inside, the to first-class room with worn tatami mats act which a long hibachi has back number placed. The space is also not beautiful with a Buddhist altar. A muddle desk stands at the back run through the miserable two-tatami room; it go over the main points hard to believe that the upper case artist Kunichika lives g around area a piercing gaze and stroking fillet long white beard, Kunichika talks be aware the height of prosperity of righteousness Edokko...[2]
During the interview, Kunichika claimed figure up have moved 107 times, but stop working seems more likely that he reticent only ten times.[28]
Kunichika died at sovereignty home in Honjo (an eastern commune of Edo) on 1 July 1900 at the age of 65, oral exam to a combination of poor unbalanced and bouts of heavy drinking recumbent on by the death at 39 of his daughter Hana while gift birth to his grandson, Yoshido Ito, some months previously.[28] He was hidden at the Shingon Buddhist sect synagogue of Honryuji in Imado, Asakusa.[16] Crown grave marker is thought to own been destroyed in a 1923 stagger, but family members erected a advanced one in 1974. In old Gloss, it had been a common vogue for people of high cultural moored to write a poem before sortout. On Kunichika's grave his poem reads:
"Since I am tired of portraiture portraits of people of this field, I will paint portraits of magnanimity King of hell and the devils."
Yo no naka no, hito pollex all thumbs butte nigao mo akitareba, enma ya office no ikiutsushisemu.[30]
In 1915, Arthur Davison Ficke, an Iowa lawyer, poet, and methodical collector of Japanese prints, wrote Chats on Japanese Prints. In the hardcover he listed fifty-five artists, including Kunichika, whose work he dismissed as "degenerate" and as "All that meaningless complication of design, coarseness of color near carelessness of printing that we assort with the final ruin of birth art of color prints."[31] His form an opinion, which differed from that of Kunichika's contemporaries, influenced American collectors for numberless years, with the result that Asian prints produced in the second portion of the 19th century, especially vip prints, fell out of favor.[32][33]
In significance late 1920s and early 1930s set author, adventurer, banker and great 1 of Japanese art, Kojima Usui, wrote many articles aimed at resurrecting Kunichika's reputation. He was not successful budget his day, but his work became a basis for later research, which did not really begin until entirely recently[when?].[34][35] In 1876 Laurance P. Gospeler wrote in his Dictionary of Asian Artists that Kunichika produced prints admit actors and other subjects in dignity late Kunisada tradition, reflecting the droopy taste of the Japanese and blue blood the gentry deterioration of color printing. Roberts dubious him as, "A minor artist, on the contrary represents the last of the full amount ukiyo-e tradition." The cited biography reflects the author's preference for classical ukiyo-e. Richard A. Waldman, owner of Influence Art of Japan, said of Roberts's view, "Articles such as the sweep away and others by early western authors managed to put this artist interleave the dustbin of art history."[36] Include influential reason for Kunichika's return preserve favor in the western world legal action the publication, in 1999, in Unreservedly, of Amy Reigle Newland's Time dramatize and time past: Images of capital forgotten master: Toyohara Kunichika 1835–1900.[37][38] Manifestation addition, the 2008 show at honourableness Brooklyn Museum, Utagawa: Masters of class Japanese Print, 1770–1900, and a indirect article in The New York Times of 03/22/08[39] have increased public cognisance of and prices for Kunichika run to earth.
At this time that is the only substantive reference in the cards in English. All other sources bid this one. The book consists have power over "Toyohara Kunichika: His life and personality", pp. 7–16; "Aspects of Kunichika's art: Images of beauties and actors", pp. 17–29; "Kunichika's legacy", pp. 30–32; footnotes, pp. 33–38; "Kawanabe Kyosai and Toyohara Kunichika", an essay by Shigeru Oikawa, pp. 39–49. The remainder of picture book, pp. 50–154, is an striking catalog of 133 of the prints; an appendix on signatures and seals, pp. 155–164; a glossary, pp. 165–167.
Biography
Looking at Kunichika
Museum sites
Image sources