Artist
Katsukawa Shunchō
Japanese, 1750–1821
Katsukawa Shunchō was a Japanese Romanticism artist. 20 works are cataloged here, principally at Metropolitan Museum of Art, most of them ink works.
Katsukawa Shunchō lived in Edo (now Tokyo) during the late 1700s, a time when floating-world prints, colorful scenes of theater, courtesans, and everyday life, were all the rage. He worked in a busy print shop, drawing bold, flat shapes with crisp outlines, a style that became his signature.
Shunchō was known for his sharp eye for fashion. He loved to show off the latest kimono patterns and hairstyles in his prints, making his work a snapshot of what was trendy at the time. He also had a knack for capturing moments mid-motion, like a dancer’s arm raised or a boat gliding through the water.
Look for prints where the outlines are clean and uncluttered, almost like a comic strip. The colors tend to be strong and unshaded, think bright reds, blues, and greens that pop against the paper. Even the faces have a stylized, almost mask-like quality.
If you see a print with a woman in a kimono with a dramatic sleeve or a samurai in a dynamic pose, chances are it’s his work.
Works by Katsukawa Shunchō
Collections represented
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