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Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
"Thirsty: the appearance of a town geisha in the Ansei era" - Woodblock on Paper
1888

Name: "Thirsty: the appearance of a town geisha in the Ansei era" - Woodblock on Paper
Brand: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Price: 760 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

"Thirsty: the appearance of a town geisha in the Ansei era" - Woodblock on Paper From the series "Thirty-two Aspects of Customs and Manners" (Fuzoku sanjuniso) Lively woodblock of a geisha in the Amsei era by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japanese, 1839-1892). A woman is holding a sake cup, looking to the viewer's right. There is a tall candlestick to the left of the composition. The geisha is dressed in boldly colored clothing, with rich black, brown, and red patterns. The title "town geisha" suggests the lower status of this plainly dressed young woman. Rather than dancing and entertaining, she is mostly assigned to serving drinks. In this scene she is on her knees turning left towards a customer with a cup of sake in her hand. Her face is slightly flushed with pink around the eyes, suggesting that she enjoys drinking sake herself, as she smiles cheerfully. A charming design, finely detailed. Artist's signature, chop, title, and description in the upper right corner. Presented in a black frame with a cream mat. Frame size: 20"H x 14"W Paper size: 14.13"H x 9.5"W About the series: Yoshitoshi's finest series of bijin-ga, or pictures of beautiful women, Thirty-two Aspects of Customs and Manners features illustrations of beauties in a lighthearted reference to the thirty-two notable features of Buddha. The women depicted come from all social classes, representing beauties from the late 18th century through Yoshitoshi's own time. Each design captures a woman in a scene from daily life, realistically and sensitively portrayed as individuals rather than idealized figures. Sumptuous fabrics are beautifully rendered, and hairstyles and facial features are drawn with the most delicate of lines. The series was beautifully printed using the most costly techniques, such as delicate bokashi shading, embossing, and burnishing, creating some of the finest prints of the Meiji era. Thirty-two Aspects proved popular with the public when published in 1888, and has been appreciated by viewers and collectors ever since. Designs in this fantastic series are some of the most highly sought after woodblocks of the Meiji era, and are certainly considered great masterworks of Yoshitoshi's career. -- Born in Edo in 1839, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japanese, 1839-1892) became a student of noted woodblock artist Kuniyoshi in 1850, at the age of eleven. His first print, a triptych of a historical naval battle, was issued just three years later. After Kuniyoshi's death in 1861, Yoshitoshi earned his living designing prints of kabuki actors. The 1860s were a time of increasing political unrest in Japan. A witness to the Battle of Ueno, a massacre of the shogun's supporters by imperial forces in 1868, Yoshitoshi's bloody battle prints during this period reflect the violence and upheaval of the time. Yoshitoshi experienced some commercial success in the late 1860s, earning popularity designing prints for newspapers, but in 1871 he fell into a deep depression, living in poverty and unable to work. The year 1873 marked a rebirth for Yoshitoshi, as he emerged from his illness and began using a new go or artist name: Taiso, which means great resurrection. The following decades would see the production of his greatest work. Considered his masterwork, Yoshitoshi's series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon was published from 1885-1892. These quiet and reflective prints, beautifully composed and drawn, feature subjects from traditional Japanese and Chinese history and legend, rendered with great sensitivity and emotion. Yoshitoshi's other important series from this period include New Forms of Thirty-six Ghosts and Thirty-two Aspects of Customs and Manners. Sadly, Yoshitoshi's mental illness returned, and he was hospitalized in 1891. He continued to work intermittently, but died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1892 at the age of fifty-three. Yoshitoshi was the most influential woodblock print artist of Meiji era Japan. His prints shimmer with energy and bring to life the tales of ancient Japan: the downfall of the once mighty, untouchable beauty, military conquests, and slices of everyday life. A consummate draftsman and imaginative designer, Yoshitoshi brought creativity, emotion, and elegance to images that continue to resonate with audiences today.

Creator:

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839 - 1892, Japanese)

Creation Year:

1888

Dimensions:

Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 14 in (35.56 cm)Depth: 0.75 in (1.91 cm)

Medium:

Paper,Ink,Woodcut

Movement & Style:

Edo

Period:

1880-1889

Condition:

Tonal ageing to paper, as expected. Trimmed slightly. Frame has some wear.

Gallery Location:

Soquel, CA

Reference Number:

Seller: DBH76101stDibs: LU54211554732

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Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Born in Edo in 1839, Yoshitoshi became a student of noted woodblock artist Kuniyoshi in 1850, at the age of eleven. His first print, a triptych of a historical naval battle, was issued just three years later. After Kuniyoshi's death in 1861, Yoshitoshi earned his living designing prints of kabuki actors. The 1860s were a time of increasing political unrest in Japan. A witness to the Battle of Ueno, a massacre of the shogun's supporters by imperial forces in 1868, Yoshitoshi's bloody battle prints during this period reflect the violence and upheaval of the time. Yoshitoshi experienced some commercial success in the late 1860s, earning popularity designing prints for newspapers, but in 1871 he fell into a deep depression, living in poverty and unable to work. The year 1873 marked a rebirth for Yoshitoshi, as he emerged from his illness and began using a new go or artist name: Taiso, which means great resurrection. The following decades would see the production of his greatest work. Considered his masterwork, Yoshitoshi's series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon was published from 1885-1892. These quiet and reflective prints, beautifully composed and drawn, feature subjects from traditional Japanese and Chinese history and legend, rendered with great sensitivity and emotion. Yoshitoshi's other important series from this period include New Forms of Thirty-six Ghosts and Thirty-two Aspects of Customs and Manners. Sadly, Yoshitoshi's mental illness returned, and he was hospitalized in 1891. He continued to work intermittently, but died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1892 at the age of fifty-three. Yoshitoshi was the most influential woodblock print artist of Meiji era Japan. His prints shimmer with energy and bring to life the tales of ancient Japan: the downfall of the once mighty, untouchable beauty, military conquests, and slices of everyday life. A consummate draftsman and imaginative designer, Yoshitoshi brought creativity, emotion, and elegance to images that continue to resonate with audiences today.