Ipposai Yoshifuji
WO RO SI IA ZIN Russian Soldier with His Family
1861.02

About the Item

WO RO SI IA ZIN Russian Soldier with His Family Color woodcut, 1861 2nd month Signed upper left (see photo) Titled upper right in black cartouche (see photo) Format: oban Style: Yokohama-e Publisherr: Sagamiya Tokichi (Marks #435) active 1955-1866 Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, has an impression of this image RARE Condition: with usual aging Image size: 13 7/8 x 9 3/8 inches Rebecca Salter in her Japanese Popular Prints... on page 18 gives a different take on the situation that Yoshifuji found himself in. "A giant of the period, however, was Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-861). Although best known for warrior prints which reflected the militaristic undercurrents of the time, he was also responsible for some of the most light-heartend and humorous works in this book. His followers in the Utagawa school, Utagawa Yoshitsuya (1822-66), Utagawa Yoshitora (ca. 1850s-70s), and Utagawa Yoshiiku (1833-1904) and Utagawa Yoshifuji (1828-87) all worked in woodblock's difficult declining years. An efficient commercial printing and publishing industry had been built on the popular appetite for topical images reflecting the times. The audience which had sustained the prints so effectively was declining, and Western printing methods were being introduced. But a living still had to be made by the remaining artists and craftsmen trained in the old technology. They were obliged to explore other avenues. Yoshifuji, for example, became well-known for omocha-e (toy prints), made very cheaply and sold to children. The standard of production was undeniably inferior to earlier prints, but this does not mean that these prints are not worthy of attention... They may have been made as throwaway items (and indeed few remain) but they demonstrate a visual sophistication reminiscent of earlier prints and can reveal subtle insights into the forces working to change Japanese society from within and without."

Creator:

Ipposai Yoshifuji (1828 - 1887, Japanese)

Creation Year:

1861.02

Dimensions:

Height: 13.88 in (35.26 cm)Width: 9.38 in (23.83 cm)

Medium:

Woodcut

Period:

1860-1869

Condition:

Gallery Location: