Busteportret van jonge vrouw met waaier 1793 - 1797

Kitagawa Utamaro created this woodblock print of a young woman with a fan. Utamaro was a master of ukiyo-e, a popular genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. The term translates literally as "pictures of the floating world," referring to the fleeting pleasures of urban life. Woodblock printing was a key technology for this art form. To make these prints, highly skilled artisans carved separate blocks for each color, and then carefully printed them in layers on paper. The subtle gradations of color and the fine lines, especially in the woman's hair, are testaments to the expertise required. The process was collaborative, involving the artist, block carver, and printer, each bringing unique skills to the artwork. Consider the labor involved: from the cultivation of trees for the blocks to the mixing of pigments and the precise registration of each color layer. Appreciating this print means acknowledging the many hands that brought it into being. In doing so, we recognize the profound relationship between art, labor, and the wider social world.