Onsen in the Evening — いで湯の夕べ
- Date:
- 1912
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
$2,000–$20,000+. Snow and night scenes tend to command premium prices for this artist. Key value factors: Kiyokata's influence as a teacher and his connection to Edo culture make his work highly valued. Paintings far exceed print prices.
Dated 1912, Onsen in the Evening depicts the experience of bathing at a hot spring as night falls, combining the sensual subject of a woman at an onsen with the atmospheric qualities of twilight. The Japanese subtitle ide-yu no yube confirms the evening setting, when the rising steam from outdoor baths becomes visible against the cooling air and the relaxation of the body is deepened by the approaching darkness. Kaburaki Kiyokata handles this subject with the refined sensitivity to the female figure that defined his [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) practice. The onsen setting strips away the elaborate kimono that usually characterizes his women, requiring the artist to convey beauty and personality through posture, gesture, and the interaction between body and water. The evening light provides warm, diffused tones that suit the intimate subject.
Mutsu Tsuta onsen
1919
Color woodblock print; oban
1943
Color woodblock print
Autumn 1920
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
1924
Color woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Onsen in the Evening — いで湯の夕べ was created by Kaburaki Kiyokata (鏑木清方) in 1912.
Onsen in the Evening — いで湯の夕べ was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1912).
Onsen in the Evening — いで湯の夕べ depicts nude and night scenes.
