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 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.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Rouge (Beni) was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in 1929.
Rouge (Beni) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1929).
Rouge (Beni) depicts figures, bijin-ga, and portraits.
