A Nap (Utatane)
- Date:
- 1930
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
Kotondo's bijin-ga are prized for their psychologically intimate portrayals of modern Tokyo women. With only 21 designs and original woodblocks destroyed, all genuine 1930s impressions are scarce. Sotheby's estimated "Summer Geisha" at $8,000–$12,000 in 2023.
A woman reclines in a light sleep, her body relaxed into the soft fabric beneath her. Kotondo chooses the Japanese word utatane — the particular drowsiness of an unplanned nap, distinct from deep sleep — to title the work, and the figure embodies exactly this liminal state: not quite asleep, not quite awake. The composition is spare, the focus entirely on the softness of the resting form and the quiet stillness that surrounds her.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
A Nap (Utatane) was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in 1930.
A Nap (Utatane) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1930).
A Nap (Utatane) depicts figures and bijin-ga.
