Utamaro

Utamaro (Kitagawa Utamaro) (kētä`gäwä tä`märo), 1753–1806, Japanese color-print artist, best known for his portrayals of women. Although he enjoyed enormous success during his lifetime, not much is known about his life except that he was imprisoned for a short time when his prints were supposed to have offended the Tokugawa government. His were among the first Japanese prints to become familiar in the West, as they were especially popular with the Dutch exporters of Nagasaki. Following Kiyonaga, Utamaro depicted women in an idealized manner, accenting sensuous beauty. His book of Insects (1788) reveals a keen observation of nature. His draftsmanship and use of color (especially reds and black) show a striking originality that made him the first of the greater masters of the ukiyo-e school. The New York Public Library has a collection of 133 of his prints.

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Utamaro

 orig. Kitagawa Nebsuyoshi

(born 1753, Japan—died Oct. 31, 1806, Edo) Japanese printmaker and painter. He moved from a provincial town to Edo (now Tokyo) in his youth; his early work included many illustrated books. One of the greatest ukiyo-e artists, he is known especially for his masterfully composed portraits of sensuous female beauties. Unlike other ukiyo-e artists, who favoured prints of women in groups, Utamaro concentrated on half-length single portraits.