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「扇屋内花扇図」|The Courtesan Hanaōgi of the Ōgiya Brothel in Yoshiwara (Ōgiya uchi Hanaōgi, Yoshino, Tatsuta)

Kitagawa Utamaro

1794

ink

paper

From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Romanticism Ukiyo-e 18th Century Portrait

Dominant colour

「扇屋内花扇図」|The Courtesan Hanaōgi of the Ōgiya Brothel in Yoshiwara (Ōgiya uchi Hanaōgi, Yoshino, Tatsuta) is a 1794 ink by Kitagawa Utamaro, a Romanticism work, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Kitagawa Utamaro
When & what style?: 1794 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Metropolitan Museum of Art

About this work

This print shows a woman in a half-length pose, dressed in layered robes. Her outfit includes a black hat with a wide brim, a peach-colored undergarment, and an olive-green outer robe with black floral patterns. She holds a fan in one hand and rests the other on her lap. The background is plain, keeping focus on her face and clothing. Notice how the artist used fine lines to create shadows and texture, especially on her hat and robes. This style was common in Japanese woodblock prints of the time. Next, look up cross-hatching to see how artists build depth with lines.