Kotondo is best known for bijin-ga, but his complete oeuvre includes actor prints and other figure subjects. His small corpus of only 21 designs ensures that all authenticated period impressions carry collector interest and scarcity premiums.
A woman applies cosmetics before a mirror, her concentrated expression and precise hand movements creating a portrait of feminine artistry. The luminous quality of her partly made-up face and the rich textures of her kimono demonstrate Kotondo''s exceptional mastery of the woodblock medium. The print captures the ritual of self-creation that lies at the heart of traditional Japanese beauty culture.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Makeup (化粧) was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in 1929.
Makeup was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1929).
Makeup depicts figures, bijin-ga, and portraits.
