Picnic party
- Date:
- c. 1801/07
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; surimono
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
An outdoor gathering for a picnic among figures who may be a poetry circle or pleasure party is depicted in this surimono from around 1801–07, the refined luxury printing indicating a privately commissioned work rather than a commercial release. Picnicking (hanami for cherry blossoms, or moon-viewing outings) was a major form of leisure sociability in Edo, and Hokusai captures its pleasures with the warm, attentive eye he brought to genre subjects.
More Prints by Katsushika Hokusai
Hokusai manga (Hokusai Sketchbooks)
19th century
Woodblock-printed book; ink and light color on paper
Fukuroi
1804
Japanese woodblock print
The Fishermen of Katase Hauling in Their Nets: The Purple Shell (Murasakigai)
1821
Color woodblock print with metallic pigments; surimono shikishiban
Burdock Root (Kurama gobo), from the series "A Selection of Horses (Uma-zukushi)"
1822
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
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Frequently Asked Questions
Picnic party was created by Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎) in c. 1801/07.
Picnic party depicts figures, cherry blossoms, and daily life.