Part of a series titled '6 Dreams of Ukiyo Beauty,' this 2008 print addresses the [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) tradition — images of beautiful women as a subject class developed extensively in Edo-period Japan by artists such as Utamaro and Eisen. The subtitle 'Ease' suggests a figure in a relaxed or languid pose, a mood commonly conveyed in bijin-ga through loose robes, reclined posture, or downward gaze. Moilanen reinterprets this tradition through mokuhanga, employing the technique's signature [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) — the graduated pigment blending achieved by adjusting moisture on carved woodblocks — to build soft tonal transitions across figure and ground. The series title's reference to ukiyo, the 'floating world' of pleasure and transience, situates the work in conscious dialogue with Edo aesthetics while Moilanen brings a contemporary European viewpoint to the genre.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
6 Dreams of Ukiyo Beauty: Ease was created by Tuula Moilanen in 2008.
6 Dreams of Ukiyo Beauty: Ease uses Bokashi, on mokuhanga.
6 Dreams of Ukiyo Beauty: Ease depicts figures and bijin-ga.
6 Dreams of Ukiyo Beauty: Ease measures 34 × 23 cm.
