
After bathing
- Medium:
- Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
- Image courtesy of
- Saru Gallery
Description
A figural print depicting a woman after the bath, a subject with deep roots in [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e) [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) (Utamaro, Goyo, Hashiguchi). Onchi reframes the motif through [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) aesthetics: in place of detailed contour and patterned kimono, his post-bath figures tend toward simplified outlines, broad undivided color fields, and an introspective mood that draws on European symbolism and the influence of Munch. Because Onchi cut the key block himself rather than employing a professional [horishi](/glossary/horishi), the figure carries a softer, more drawing-like quality than its Edo-period precedents. Onchi produced several portrait prints of women across his career; these are quieter and more psychological than the bijin-ga of the floating world, prioritizing the sitter's inner state over the decorative surface of dress and accessories. The work sits within his lyrical-figurative line, parallel to his abstract output.



