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Beauty Before a Screen, 19th century
Kawanabe Kyõsai (Japanese, 1831 - 1889)
Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith, 1985.268
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Beauty Before a Screen
Beautiful women elegantly clad in rich, multi-layered kimono were the most popular subjects of traditional Japanese artists and printmakers of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. This courtesan, identified by the obi tied in front, moves forward, turning her head to look over her shoulder--a pose typical of such scenes. Her bare foot is an erotic gesture.
Kyõsai favored this theme, painting it many times during his career. Here, he masterfully contrasted the monochromatic ink style of landscape painting in the folding screen with the courtesan's elaborately decorated outer robe, in which he skillfully hid the Seven Gods of Good Fortune.
Page 1 of 16 | On the next page:
Ichikawa Danjuro as Kan Shojo in the Mt. Tenpai Scene VII
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