A Party Viewing the Moon Across the Sumida River c. 1787

Torii Kiyonaga’s ‘A Party Viewing the Moon Across the Sumida River’ is a late 18th-century triptych of woodblock prints. Observe the expansive composition. The figures are elegantly elongated, their arrangement creating a harmonious balance across the three panels. Consider the use of line, which defines the forms of the figures, architecture, and landscape, delineating space within the flat picture plane. The subtle gradations of color – muted pinks, greens, and grays – create a serene atmosphere. We see a group of women enjoying an evening on a balcony overlooking the Sumida River. In structuralist terms, the composition operates as a system of signs where each element – the women, their clothing, the lanterns, the river – signifies cultural codes of beauty and leisure. Kiyonaga destabilizes traditional landscape art by prioritizing the human figure, and emphasizing the artificial construction of leisure. Note how Kiyonaga masterfully employs perspective to create a sense of depth. This work invites us to reflect on the interplay between nature and artifice, and the structured ways we experience beauty.