A Young Woman Watching Frogs (parody of Ono no Tôfû) c. 1760

Torii Kiyomitsu created this woodblock print, “A Young Woman Watching Frogs,” in the mid-18th century. The process of making ukiyo-e prints was labor-intensive. The artist first created a design, which was then carved into woodblocks, one for each color. These were printed in succession, building up the image layer by layer. Look closely, and you’ll notice thin black outlines defining forms and patterns. The flat, bold colors and stylized forms are characteristic of ukiyo-e, a visual language developed for mass production and consumption. The print depicts a stylish woman pausing by a stream, perhaps considering the frogs. This scene draws on an earlier story, about a calligrapher who was inspired by a frog leaping towards a willow branch. It speaks to the beauty of the everyday world, and the capacity to learn from nature. This artwork prompts us to think about the many hands involved in its production, and the skilled work required to create what seems like a simple image. It reminds us that art is always a product of its time, shaped by the materials, technologies, and social contexts in which it is made.