1853
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Strange Occurrence of Ukiyo Matahei and his Famous Paintings is a 1853 by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a Japanese artist surrounded by characters from his paintings. They seem to have come to life, leaving their shadowy figures behind. These characters include a demon, a monkey, and a god, which is interesting because it shows the artist's imagination and creativity. The artist, Ukiyo Matahei, was a famous printmaker and painter. He is thought to have created otsu-e, which are folk paintings from Japan. This style is unique and tells us about the artist's influences and inspirations. You can learn more about this style by looking up the museum where this painting is held, The Cleveland Museum of Art.
In this image, otsu-e folk heroes have seemingly come to life, leaving their shadowy figures in the paintings in front of the artist. Included among them are a demon ( oni ), a monkey, the wisteria maiden, and the bald, tall-headed God of Longevity, Fukurokuju. Ukiyo Matahei, also known as Iwasa Matabei, was a famous printmaker who is also thought to have been a painter of otsu-e.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Kuniyoshi grew up in old Tokyo when the city was still called Edo. His dad ran a silk shop, but Kuniyoshi loved anything with pictures—scrolls, screens, comic books. He talked his way into the Utagawa school, a kind of…
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