Who painted 二葉草七小町清水小町|Kiyomizu Komachi?

二葉草七小町清水小町|Kiyomizu Komachi was painted by Kitagawa Utamaro in 1794.

Where can I see 二葉草七小町清水小町|Kiyomizu Komachi?

二葉草七小町清水小町|Kiyomizu Komachi is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is 二葉草七小町清水小町|Kiyomizu Komachi?

二葉草七小町清水小町|Kiyomizu Komachi is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

二葉草七小町清水小町|Kiyomizu Komachi

Kitagawa Utamaro , 1794

二葉草七小町清水小町|Kiyomizu Komachi is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Kitagawa Utamaro. It dates from 1794 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Accession no.: JP986
Credit line: Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Kitagawa Utamaro's 1790 woodblock print, Kiyomizu Komachi, belongs to the bijin-ga genre and portrays a woman accompanied by a child.

Kitagawa Utamaro's 1790 woodblock print, Kiyomizu Komachi, belongs to the bijin-ga genre and portrays a woman accompanied by a child. The composition captures the figures in the act of playing a game, emphasizing a moment of domestic leisure and interaction. As part of the series Nana Komachi (Seven Komachis), the work draws upon the historical and literary figure of Ono no Komachi, one of the six greatest poets of the Heian period.

By depicting her in a playful, contemporary setting with a child, the print reinterprets the classical archetype of the beautiful woman, blending historical allusion with the everyday life and amusements characteristic of the ukiyo-e tradition.

Technique & Style

Created in 1790 by Kitagawa Utamaro, this work is a woodblock print executed with ink and color on paper. Classified as a nishiki-e within the ukiyo-e tradition, the piece exemplifies the bijin-ga genre through its depiction of a woman and child engaged in play. The medium relies on the layered application of pigments to achieve its polychrome effect, a hallmark of the full-color printing techniques developed during this period.

As a portrait-focused composition, the image utilizes the specific affordances of the woodblock medium to render figures associated with leisure and domestic life.

Overview

Kiyomizu Komachi is a woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro, created around 1794. It features a woman and two young girls engaged in a playful activity.

Context

This print is part of a series featuring women from various regions of Japan, highlighting Utamaro's interest in capturing ordinary moments and everyday life.