Rouge (Beni)

A woman applies rouge (beni) to her lips, the act of cosmetic preparation a recurring subject in Kotondo's bijin-ga. The 1929 date places this among his most active period, and the beni subject recurs in several versions, each finding a slightly different posture or quality of attention in the figure performing this intimate act. The lip rouge was a traditional cosmetic applied with a small brush, the concentration required giving the gesture a focused quality that Kotondo rendered with characteristic attentiveness.