Katsukawa Shun'ei
Japanese, 1762-1819
Actor Ichikawa Monnosuke, c. 1780
Color woodblock print
Gift of Louis W. Hill, Jr. 81.133.232

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Prints by the Katsukawa School Artists

Saturday, February 26, 2011—Sunday, June 26, 2011
Louis W Hill Jr. Gallery of Japanese Prints (239)
Free Exhibition

Katsukawa Shunsho (1726-92) was one of the first woodblock print designers to create yakusha-nigao-e, or pictures that convey an actor's actual, rather than idealized, appearance. The growing popularity of Kabuki, a highly stylized and melodramatic form of theater that appealed to Japan's urban commoners, fostered a demand for images of popular actors. Shunsho's readily recognizable celebrities were greatly admired and helped evolve a taste for greater artistic realism. Print designers of the Katsukawa School closely emulated Shunsho's style to create their "likeness" pictures of actors, but some achieved a greater degree of individuality than others. The prints in this exhibition are by artists associated with the Katsukawa School, including Shunsho, the school's founder, and his top pupils Shunko (1743-1812) and Shun'ei (1762-1819). Images by Shunro, better known as Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), are also included, since this renowned artist began his artistic career in the Katsukawa studio and later credited his success to this early training.