Violets, Primroses and Other Spring Flowers 1800 - 1820

This print of violets and primroses, made by Kubo Shunman in Japan, is an example of the woodblock printing known as Ukiyo-e, a technique closely linked to the rise of a mercantile economy. Ukiyo-e prints, which translated as "pictures of the floating world," were made with a division of labor. An artist created the original design, which was then painstakingly transferred to a series of woodblocks, one for each color. Skilled printers would then create the final image through careful layering of ink, resulting in a final print. The images were thus inexpensive multiples, and depict scenes of everyday life: landscapes, theater actors, and, as we see here, the beauty of seasonal flowers. Shunman’s image seems simple enough, yet is imbued with the skill of dedicated artisans. It reminds us that even the most apparently direct representation involves complex processes of production.