Woman Writing
- Date:
- 1753–1806
- Medium:
- color woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 36.6 × 24.8 cm
- Source:
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Description
A woman writes with a brush — one of the quintessential images of feminine accomplishment in East Asian culture, where calligraphy and literary composition were understood as expressions of cultivated inner life. The act of writing allowed Utamaro to depict a woman in absorbed concentration, her posture defined by the disciplined grip of the brush and the careful direction of attention toward the paper. Such images celebrated literacy and artistic cultivation as feminine virtues.
More Prints by Kitagawa Utamaro
Akashi of the Tamaya, from the series Seven Komachis of Yoshiwara (Seiro nana Komachi) (Tamaya uchi Akashi, Uraji, Shimano)
Woodblock print
Hour of the Tiger (Tora no koku = 4 AM) from the series Twelve Hours in Yoshiwara (Seirô jûni toki tsuzuki), Late Edo period, circa 1794
Woodblock print
Ikebana arrangement of Peony and Willow in Dragon Pot
1781–1806
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
The Greatest Beauties of Our Time (Toji zensei bijin zoroe): Somenosuke of the Matsubaya with Attendants Wakagi and Wakaba
Woodblock print
More Bijin-ga Prints
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Woman Writing was created by Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿) in 1753–1806.
Woman Writing depicts bijin-ga and calligraphy.
Woman Writing measures 36.6 × 24.8 cm (Oban format).