Current Location:
Wall Galleries -> Devos Gallery (GVSU Pew Campus)
Location Notes:
Currently on display at the Richard M. DeVos Center Wall Gallery, Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus as part of the exhibition, "Compelling Visions: The Art of Narrative in Japanese Prints"




Courtesan and Companions: Angry Warriors

Artwork
Identifier:
2024.19.6a-c
Artist:
Kunisada III
Credit:
GVSU Collection
Medium:
Woodblock print
Date:
1888
Dimensions:
Artworks - Height: 14" Width: 28"
Description:
A multicolored three piece woodblock print. The panel on the left depicts two women looking frightened. The panel in the middle features a man and a woman who also look concerned, and in the panel on the right there are two men in armor.
Historical Context:
By the end of the Edo period (1603-1867), Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi and Kunisada were the top artists working with Japanese color woodcut in Edo. This kabuki triptych features two scenes from a play. At the left, a courtesan in a red kimono looks up at a man standing beneath a blossoming cherry tree. The beauty beside her holds a softly glowing lantern. At right, a warrior waves his fan as he glares down at a young samurai, gripping a polearm in his other hand.