The “Clearing Weather” of the Fan

Catalog note / 解説

Although unsigned, this print of a young woman and her maid out on a stroll is unmistakably by Harunobu because of the manner in which it depicts youthful beauty. The print is from a set of unsigned prints that the artist produced in 1766. The set was the artist's depiction of the classical “Eight Views” theme (derived from a Chinese landscape theme depicting famous places at specific times) of “Clear Sky.” The young woman holds a fan that is intended to signify the “clearing weather.” As with many of Harunobu's multicolored prints, his tonal range is in the brown, red, and orange color scheme, which lends a feeling of warmth to the scene. The juxtaposition of the figures, with one turning…