1856
ink
paper
From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Untitled is a 1856 ink by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, a Impressionism work, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This print shows a dramatic scene of two men in mid-fall, tangled together. One wears a dark, patterned robe and holds a spear, while the other has a bright red feathered headdress and ornate armor. Above them, two fish and a bird float in the sky, which is a solid blue with diagonal lines. The artist used bold outlines and flat colors, typical of woodblock prints. The men’s expressions and poses suggest a story of struggle or defeat. Look up Utagawa Kuniyoshi next to see more of his dynamic, action-filled prints.
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…
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
