Procession of a Courtesan with Her Four Attendants 1789

Kubo Shunman's woodblock print, Procession of a Courtesan with Her Four Attendants, presents a study in restrained elegance and formal composition. The print is dominated by muted tones, with the ochre yellow of the kimonos and obis providing a focal point amidst the subdued palette. Note how Shunman uses a subtle gradation of colour to model the figures, giving them a soft, rounded form. The arrangement of the figures in a staggered line creates a sense of depth, while the blank space around them emphasizes their deliberate placement within the frame. The procession moves from left to right, but it's the stasis of the women's figures that is of interest, as they each become motifs in a repeating pattern. This challenges our traditional notions of space and representation.