Print 1

An oban-format woodblock print listed under a generic title, this work by Kitano Tsunetomi belongs to the artist's body of shin-hanga bijin-ga subjects. Tsunetomi produced a relatively small number of woodblock prints compared to his extensive output of Nihonga paintings, which makes each print a concentrated expression of his vision for the medium. His prints bridge two worlds: the traditional Nihonga painting practice of the Osaka school, with its emphasis on color, line quality, and literary subject matter, and the modern shin-hanga movement's revival of collaborative woodblock printmaking. The specific subject of this print has not been documented, but Tsunetomi's prints consistently depict women from the Kansai entertainment districts, rendered with the warmth and intimacy that distinguished his work from the cooler elegance of Tokyo-based bijin-ga artists.