Painful (Itaso), from the series "Thirty-two Aspects of Women (Fuzoku sanjuniso)"
- Date:
- 1888
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; oban
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
"Painful" (Itaso, 1888) from the "Thirty-two Aspects of Women" series presents a woman in evident physical discomfort—possibly a toothache or headache—her expression registering the unguarded reality of everyday suffering. The willingness to depict pain and discomfort as legitimate subjects for bijin-ga is characteristic of Yoshitoshi's subversive approach to the genre, which traditionally celebrated female beauty in decorative terms. By including "painful" among his thirty-two aspects, he insisted that the full range of embodied experience was worthy of artistic attention.
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Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Painful (Itaso), from the series "Thirty-two Aspects of Women (Fuzoku sanjuniso)" was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in 1888.
Yes — Painful (Itaso), from the series "Thirty-two Aspects of Women (Fuzoku sanjuniso)" is part of the Thirty-two Aspects of Women (Fuzoku sanjuniso) series by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi.
Painful (Itaso), from the series "Thirty-two Aspects of Women (Fuzoku sanjuniso)" depicts figures, bijin-ga, and portraits.