Cool Evening (Suzumi), from the series Twelve Figures of New Beauties (Shin bijin jûni sugata), Taishô period, dated 1922
by Ito Shinsui
- Series:
- Twelve Figures of New Beauties
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Harvard Art Museums
Description
Cool Evening (Suzumi) from the 1922 series "Twelve Figures of New Beauties" depicts a woman enjoying the slight relief of evening air after the concentrated heat of a summer day—the practice of suzumi (cooling off outdoors) being a culturally specific summer pleasure. The outing to a garden, rooftop, or riverside specifically to feel the evening breeze was celebrated in poetry and art as one of summer's compensatory pleasures. Shinsui's treatment situates the woman in a state of sensory absorption—feeling rather than looking, caught in the moment of physical relief.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Cool Evening (Suzumi), from the series Twelve Figures of New Beauties (Shin bijin jûni sugata), Taishô period, dated 1922 was created by Ito Shinsui (伊東深水).
Yes — Cool Evening (Suzumi), from the series Twelve Figures of New Beauties (Shin bijin jûni sugata), Taishô period, dated 1922 is part of the Twelve Figures of New Beauties series by Ito Shinsui.
Cool Evening (Suzumi), from the series Twelve Figures of New Beauties (Shin bijin jûni sugata), Taishô period, dated 1922 was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Cool Evening (Suzumi), from the series Twelve Figures of New Beauties (Shin bijin jûni sugata), Taishô period, dated 1922 depicts bijin-ga and night scenes.