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Untitled

Utagawa Yoshiiku

1864

ink

paper

From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Baroque Late 19th Century Human Figure

Dominant colour

Untitled is a 1864 ink by Utagawa Yoshiiku, a Baroque work, depicting Human Figure, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Utagawa Yoshiiku
When & what style?: 1864 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Metropolitan Museum of Art

About this work

This print shows a man in bright, patterned robes sitting on the ground. Behind him is a dark, ghostly figure with long hair, almost like a shadow. Above them hang two red lanterns, and there’s a small red sign with Japanese writing. The background has a fence and some buildings, all drawn in bold outlines and flat colors. The ghostly figure looks like a *yūrei*—a type of Japanese spirit—often seen in folklore. The artist used sharp contrasts between dark and light to create drama. Look up cross-hatching to see how artists build shadows with lines.