Utamaro Revealed - Introduction by Gina Collia-Suzuki
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chapter 1:
Introduction
Introduction
chapter 1
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updated Oct 06, 2008
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One need not know anything of Utamaro’s background or of the subjects he depicted to immediately appreciate the mastery of his designs or the brilliance of his draughtsmanship, but to fully appreciate his works a certain level of knowledge is required to understand the meaning he intended to convey by their production. A slight hand gesture, the tilt of a young woman’s head, the way a garment is worn, the presence of some item which would have been instantly recognisable to the people of the day, all help us to identify the subject and aid our interpretation of the image being presented, and in so doing they bring us closer to an understanding of the creator of such wondrous designs. Without such knowledge Utamaro’s prints are still obviously technically brilliant and visually stunning, but with it they offer an insight into the world in which the artist lived, the customs and manners of the time, and a glimpse of the characters he associated with, along with the places he frequented, and even of the artist’s opinion of his own work and worth.
It is not my intention in this book to present a chronological chapter by chapter account of the artist and his oeuvre, as the reader has already been provided with such a work in the form of Jack Hillier’s excellent Utamaro: Colour Prints and Paintings. Rather, my purpose is to present a reference guide which can be read cover to cover or dipped into when the need arises to aid in the identification of subjects in the artist’s work. It is my hope that the information provided in the following chapters, along with that contained within the appendices, will enable the reader, even if he has no knowledge of Japanese history or the language, to locate and decipher the subject of the Utamaro design he has before him. So, while the opening chapter is concerned solely with providing a brief chronological overview of the biographical information which can be gleaned from Utamaro’s works, in order to give us a more vivid picture of the artist, the remaining chapters are organised into groupings by subject and are not presented according to date.
As it is most often the case that an artist invests much of his personality and character into his work, a better understanding of the subjects and themes presented in the artist’s work, and the methods used to present them, undoubtedly leads to a better understanding of the artist. That is the purpose of this book, to present information which leads to a better grasp of the subjects portrayed, and therefore a greater familiarity with Utamaro himself.
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It is not my intention in this book to present a chronological chapter by chapter account of the artist and his oeuvre, as the reader has already been provided with such a work in the form of Jack Hillier’s excellent Utamaro: Colour Prints and Paintings. Rather, my purpose is to present a reference guide which can be read cover to cover or dipped into when the need arises to aid in the identification of subjects in the artist’s work. It is my hope that the information provided in the following chapters, along with that contained within the appendices, will enable the reader, even if he has no knowledge of Japanese history or the language, to locate and decipher the subject of the Utamaro design he has before him. So, while the opening chapter is concerned solely with providing a brief chronological overview of the biographical information which can be gleaned from Utamaro’s works, in order to give us a more vivid picture of the artist, the remaining chapters are organised into groupings by subject and are not presented according to date.
As it is most often the case that an artist invests much of his personality and character into his work, a better understanding of the subjects and themes presented in the artist’s work, and the methods used to present them, undoubtedly leads to a better understanding of the artist. That is the purpose of this book, to present information which leads to a better grasp of the subjects portrayed, and therefore a greater familiarity with Utamaro himself.
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