Painting Studio (Gashitsu), from the series Comparison of the Customs of Beauties (Bijin fûzoku awase)
by Ogata Gekko
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Museum of Fine Arts Boston
by Ogata Gekko
From the [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) series Bijin fūzoku awase (Comparison of the Customs of Beauties), this print depicts a young woman in a painting studio, likely shown at an easel or low desk with brushes, ink, and paper arranged around her. The gashitsu subject was a cultured domestic setting that signaled the educational attainments of the woman depicted — painting was among the refined accomplishments expected of Meiji-era women of good family. Gekko's bijin figures typically feature slender proportions, precisely rendered kimono patterns, and restrained facial expression. The studio setting would offer compositional interest through the geometry of framed works or unrolled scrolls, contrasted with the flowing lines of the subject's clothing. The series format implies each print in the set assigned a different customary activity to its beauty.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Painting Studio (Gashitsu), from the series Comparison of the Customs of Beauties (Bijin fûzoku awase) was created by Ogata Gekko (尾形月耕).
Painting Studio (Gashitsu), from the series Comparison of the Customs of Beauties (Bijin fûzoku awase) depicts bijin-ga and craftspeople.
