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The Actor Sawamura Tossho II as Sasaki Gennosuke, from the series Photograph Studio: Now on Sale

The Actor Sawamura Tossho II as Sasaki Gennosuke, from the series Photograph Studio: Now on Sale

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Toyohara Kunichika

New photographic technology introduced to Japan from 1848 held a novel appeal for the print-buying public. Print artists like Kunichika experimented with ways to mimic photography in the woodblock medium, and he incorporated this visual approach in the established genre of kabuki actor prints (yakusha-e). In this portrait of the actor Sawamura Tossho II, Kunichika achieved a more naturalistic effect typical of photographs by eliminating the bold black outlines traditionally used in Japanese color woodcuts. The printer also applied a layer of wax to the surface of the “photograph” to give it an added sheen.
Artist
Toyohara Kunichika
(Japanese, 1835 - 1900)
Title
The Actor Sawamura Tossho II as Sasaki Gennosuke, from the series Photograph Studio: Now on Sale
Date
1870
Medium
Color woodcut
Dimensions
363 x 249 mm Image
Credit
John H. Van Vleck Endowment Fund purchase
Accession No.
2004.44
Classification
Prints
Geography
Japan

Related

  • Mueller, Laura. "Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School." Leiden, The Netherlands: Hotei Publishing, 2007. p. 205, no. 196

  • Utagawa: Masters of the Japanese Print, 1770-1900 : Chazen Museum of Art, 3/21/2008–6/15/2008
  • Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School: Chazen Museum of Art, 11/3/2007–1/6/2008

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