Large Perspective Picture of Evening Cool by Ryögoku Bridge

Catalog note / 解説

This hand-colored print depicts a merry scene at a teahouse near Ryögoku where guests, geisha and courtesans are enjoying board games and dancing while they listen to music and drink alcohol. To the right, a comical man holds a fan depicting a portrait of the Kabuki actor Danjürö II in his famous Shibaraku role. This splendid large print was executed using the Western concept of perspective, which in Japanese is called uki-e, literally meaning to "float up" from the surface. Ukiyo-e artists studied Western art introduced into the restrictive atmosphere of Japan during the late Edo period, and artists such as Masanobu enthusiastically incorporated Western techniques in their painting and pri…