Contemporary Beauties Third
1780
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
1780
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Contemporary Beauties Third is a 1780 by Kitagawa Utamaro, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This print shows two women standing side by side, both dressed in long robes and tall black hats. One holds a fan, while the other carries a small basket with a round lid hanging from a handle. Their faces are simple but expressive, with soft lines and calm eyes. The background is plain, letting the figures stand out clearly. The women’s robes are decorated with subtle patterns, and their poses look natural yet stylized. The artist used flat colors and clean outlines, which was common in Japanese prints of this time. Next, look up Kitagawa Utamaro to see more of his work.
