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三代目市川高麗蔵|The Actor Ichikawa Komazō III

Katsukawa Shun'ei 勝川春英

1791

ink

paper

From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Romanticism 18th Century Actor Tree

Dominant colour

三代目市川高麗蔵|The Actor Ichikawa Komazō III is a 1791 ink by Katsukawa Shun'ei 勝川春英, a Romanticism work, depicting Actor, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Katsukawa Shun'ei 勝川春英
When & what style?: 1791 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Metropolitan Museum of Art

About this work

This print shows a man in a loose, flowing robe, standing sideways under a tree. He holds something flat in his left hand, like a scroll or fan, while his right hand rests on his chest. His hair is pulled back, and he’s wearing simple sandals. The background has bare branches with a few green leaves, and the ground looks like dirt. The artist used soft colors—mostly pinks, greens, and browns—to keep things calm. Notice how the lines in his robe and the tree branches are drawn with careful strokes, almost like sketching. If you like this style, look up cross-hatching to see how artists build shading with lines.