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Kitagawa Utamaro - Chûbon no zu – Picture of the middle class
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Kitagawa Utamaro was a Japanese artist. He is one of the most highly regarded designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings, and is best known for his bijin ōkubi-e "large-headed pictures of beautiful women" of the 1790s. He also produced nature studies, particularly illustrated books of insects.

Little is known of Utamaro's life. His work began to appear in the 1770s, and he rose to prominence in the early 1790s with his portraits of beauties with exaggerated, elongated features. He produced over 2000 known prints and was one of the few ukiyo-e artists to achieve fame throughout Japan in his lifetime. In 1804 he was arrested and manacled for fifty days for making illegal prints depicting the 16th-century military ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and died two years later.

Utamaro's work reached Europe in the mid-nineteenth century, where it was very popular, enjoying particular acclaim in France. He influenced the European Impressionists, particularly with his use of partial views and his emphasis on light and shade, which they imitated. The reference to the "Japanese influence" among these artists often refers to the work of Utamaro.

More Artworks by Kitagawa Utamaro (View all 165 Artworks)

Ten physiognomic types of women, Coquettish type

Ten physiognomic types of women, Coquettish type

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
Hairdresser (Kamiyui)

Hairdresser (Kamiyui) (c.1797-98)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
Woman Serving Tea at a Cafe

Woman Serving Tea at a Cafe (late 18th century – ca. 1806)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
Fishing with a Four-Armed Scoop-net (Yotsu Deami) (left component of triptych)

Fishing with a Four-Armed Scoop-net (Yotsu Deami) (left component of triptych) (late 18th century – ca. 1806)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
Moonrise Over the Nihon Embankment and the Yoshiwara

Moonrise Over the Nihon Embankment and the Yoshiwara (1790)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
Tomimoto Toyohina, Takashimaya Ohisa, and Naniwaya Okita

Tomimoto Toyohina, Takashimaya Ohisa, and Naniwaya Okita (c. 1794)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
Enjoying the Cool in a Garden

Enjoying the Cool in a Garden (Circa 1790)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
Portrait of Beauty, Karakoto at Chôji-ya

Portrait of Beauty, Karakoto at Chôji-ya (late 18th century – ca. 1806)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
Fond of Noise from the series Eight Views of Favorite Things of Today’s World

Fond of Noise from the series Eight Views of Favorite Things of Today’s World (late 1790s)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
A woman looking at her reflection in a mirror

A woman looking at her reflection in a mirror (1793-1804)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
Tamaya uchi Hanamurasaki, Sekiya, Teriha – Hanamurasaki of the Tamaya, Sekiya, Teriha

Tamaya uchi Hanamurasaki, Sekiya, Teriha – Hanamurasaki of the Tamaya, Sekiya, Teriha (1793-1804)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
No Title

No Title (1753-1806)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
Preparing Raw Fish

Preparing Raw Fish (circa 1798-1799)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
Woman Cooking

Woman Cooking (late 18th century – ca. 1806)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
Winter Scene from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Winter Scene from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (c. 1790)

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806)
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