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Rouge by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi — Japanese Woodblock print, 1931

Rouge

by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi

Date:
1931
Medium:
Woodblock print
Format:
Oban
Edition:
Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Description

"Rouge," from 1931, depicts the application of lip rouge — the red cosmetic that was among the most transformative and symbolically charged elements of the modern woman's beauty ritual. Red lips signaled modernity, confidence, and the influence of Western cosmetic fashion on Japanese women of the Taisho and early Showa periods. Kobayakawa renders the brilliant red against pale skin with the chromatic precision that was his technical signature, making the color itself a subject as much as the act of application.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Rouge was created by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi (小早川清) in 1931.

Rouge was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1931).

Rouge depicts bijin-ga and daily life.