Fleeting — うたかた
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
"Foam" or "Fleeting" (うたかた, utakata) — the Japanese term for the bubbles that form on water and burst in an instant, used figuratively for anything transient and insubstantial. Utakata is one of the classical Japanese terms for ephemeral beauty, appearing in poetry and prose to evoke the awareness of impermanence that underlies mono no aware. Nakajima Kiyoshi's choice of this title places his work squarely within the Japanese aesthetic tradition's ongoing contemplation of transience — the same concern that makes cherry blossoms the quintessential Japanese beauty, because they are so quickly gone.
More Prints by Nakajima Kiyoshi
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fleeting — うたかた was created by Nakajima Kiyoshi (中島潔).
Fleeting — うたかた depicts landscapes, figures, and rivers & lakes.