-
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Image courtesy of
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
Description
An untitled woodblock print from Kawanabe Kyosai's prolific output, this work reflects the artist's training under both Utagawa Kuniyoshi and the Kano school painter Kano Tokinobu. Kyosai's prints in this unnumbered category frequently depict supernatural or comic subjects rendered with abbreviated, energetic brushwork translated into the woodblock medium. The bold line work characteristic of his style — derived from his lifelong practice of rapid ink painting — would be evident in the carving, with blocky forms and confident contours replacing the finicky detail typical of his contemporaries. The colour printing employs flat areas with selective [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradation to suggest volume or atmospheric depth without overworking the surface.