Hanga
Girl in green kimono by Kaoru Kawano — Japanese Woodblock print

Girl in green kimono

by Kaoru Kawano

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Watanabe Print

Description

One of Kawano's more directly descriptive titles, this print presents a female figure wearing a green kimono, with the garment's color as a primary compositional and descriptive element. Green kimono fabric in Japanese textile tradition ranges from pale celadon to deep malachite, and Kawano's choice of specific hue would have been deliberate, likely seeking a tone that harmonizes or contrasts with skin tones and any secondary color elements in the composition. The kimono's pattern — if rendered — would have required additional blocks and registration, while a plain or loosely suggested fabric surface would have allowed Kawano to emphasize the expressive carved line over decorative detail. His female figures in kimono draw on the bijin-ga lineage but are rendered with the direct, unpolished quality that distinguishes sosaku-hanga from the technically refined output of commercial publishers. The figure is likely shown from the waist up or three-quarter length.

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Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

Frequently Asked Questions

Girl in green kimono was created by Kaoru Kawano (川野薫).

Girl in green kimono depicts daily life.