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Untitled

Kita Busei

1816

ink

paper

From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

Untitled is a 1816 ink by Kita Busei, a Romanticism work, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Kita Busei
When & what style?: 1816 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Metropolitan Museum of Art

About this work

This print shows a big, bald man wearing a loose robe, holding a bunch of smaller figures in his lap. The figures are dressed in colorful clothes, some with hats, and they’re all packed inside his robe like a pocket. On the floor, there’s a cat stretching and two small pots—one looks like it’s holding tea. The artist used ink and color on paper, a style called woodblock printing. The small figures inside the robe might be a joke or a story—it’s not clear what they’re up to. Look up cross-hatching next to see how artists create shading with lines.