Product Description

Kitagawa Utamaro is one of the most well-known and admired figures in the history of Japanese art, renowned throughout the world for his portraits of beautiful women. Unrivalled at the height of his career, he is recognised as having been the leading light of the Ukiyo-e School during its golden age, and his influence upon the work of Western artists has been beyond measure. He produced in the region of two thousand woodblock prints during his lifetime, approximately one third of which take their subjects from the licensed pleasure quarter of Edo, with the remainder being made up of images of various popular beauties, pairs of famous lovers, historical and mythical figures, domestic scenes, and the physiognomic studies for which he is best-known. With 90 reproductions of the artist's prints, designs grouped and discussed according to subject, and with illustrations of publishers' marks, artist's signatures, and the names of figures commonly inscribed upon his works, this reference guide provides the most comprehensive resource for identifying the subjects portrayed in Utamaro's prints to date.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1003710 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Review
This is an invaluable guide for anyone with a real interest in Japanese prints. Although the author says her aim was to put together a reference book for readers with an interest in Utamaro, the information in this book would be of interest to anyone who wants to know more about the subjects in Japanese prints in general. It's a well researched book with an incredible amount of information, including sections about the warriors and tragic lovers that many Ukiyo-e artists drew from the most popular Kabuki plays. There's a section on the Chushingura, on Gods and legends, and a history of the Yoshiwara, and everything's divided up to make it accessible and easy to read. The appendixes are a real help for looking up names on Japanese prints such as the courtesans and tea house beauties, and there's a large selection of publisher's seals and Utamaro's signatures. This is a must read for anyone seriously interested in Japanese prints and there are a few prints in it that I'd never seen before. --David Stokes (reader review courtesy of Amazon UK)

About the Author
Gina Collia-Suzuki is an artist and writer who lives and works on the southwest coast of England. She has been an avid collector of Japanese woodblock prints, in particular those designed by Kitagawa Utamaro, for more than two decades. Initially a student of Western art, she encountered Japanese woodblock prints for the first time in 1985 and was immediately taken by their striking and bold designs, the compositional skills of their designers and the abilities of the craftsmen responsible for carving the blocks. In 1986 she met Jack Hillier, the world-renowned Ukiyo-e scholar, who became her mentor, and their friendship lasted until Hillier's passing in 1995. For more than twenty years she has devoted herself to the study of the wodblock prints of Utamaro, eventually concentrating her research on the specific subjects portrayed in his illustrated books and broadsheets.

Customer Reviews

An invaluable guide to understanding Utamaro's prints
This is an invaluable guide for anyone with a real interest in Japanese prints. Although the author says her aim was to put together a reference book for readers with an interest in Utamaro, the information in this book would be of interest to anyone who wants to know more about the subjects in Japanese prints in general. It's a well researched book with an incredible amount of information, including sections about the warriors and tragic lovers that many Ukiyo-e artists drew from the most popular Kabuki plays. There's a section on the Chushingura, on Gods and legends, and a history of the Yoshiwara, and everything's divided up to make it accessible and easy to read. The appendixes are a real help for looking up names on Japanese prints such as the courtesans and tea house beauties, and there's a large selection of publisher's seals and Utamaro's signatures. This is a must read for anyone seriously interested in Japanese prints and there are a few prints in it that I'd never seen before.

Utamaro Revealed - Beautifully Written Insights into the Artist and Japanese Culture
For those unfamiliar with Kitagawa Utamaro, he was Japanese artist in the late 1700s / early 1800s whose expertise in Ukiyo-e prints is unsurpassed. Ukiyo-e, meaning "pictures of the floating world", is a style of woodblock prints capable of being mass produced. Ukiyo, or "floating world", refers to the rising unregulated merchant class appearing during this same period. Hence, Utamaro's work reflected much of Japan's culture and life during this period especially his compositions and study of women.

In Utamaro Revealed, Gina Collia-Suzuki beautifully reveals much more than just Utamaro, and her expertise not only in the artist but the rich culture and history of Japan shines. She takes the reader on a journey of a proud and changing society by highlighting Utamaro's work through themes of the time: the pleasure quarter, entertainment, legendary gods and heroes, leisurely pursuits, everyday life, and so on.

Filled with over ninety of Utamaro's reproductions, Collia-Suzuki augments each of these with a warm and thoughtful description of the back story inspiring the piece while pointing out specific details in the print providing the reader with a true understanding of the subtle brilliance of the artist. One such example is her explanation of Utamaro's A young woman painting her lips. In this particular print, there are a number of bowls and paraphernalia used by the woman to prepare her face. Collia-Suzuki explains, "Beside the bowl is a box of fushi powder, which was made from the gallnuts found on the Japanese sumac tree. The combination of fushi powder and kanemizu, made by fermenting iron fillings in a mixture of tea, vinegar and rice wine, produced a black pigment which could then be applied to the teeth, and once dried provided a rich lacquer coating."

It is clear Collia-Suzuki has spent years in the pursuit of acquiring, learning, and understand Utamaro's work. Utamaro Revealed is like having your own personal art museum and cultural expert at your side. This is truly a masterful work that can be enjoyed by all.

Amazing Artistic Insight
Utamaro Revealed takes the reader on a detailed journey through the life and artistry of Kitagawa Utamaro, one of the most well-known and widely renowned figures in the history of Japanese art. Primarily known for his regaling portraits of alluring, attractive women, Utamaro also created thousands of woodblock prints, featuring everything from historical icons to popular societal figures to skillfully crafted depictions of domestic life.

Within the pages of her tome, Gina Collia-Suzuki - an artist in her own right - has produced a comprehensive, all-inclusive resource regarding Utamaro's chosen subjects and themes. Her exhaustive research into his artistry was spurred by her growing admiration for his considerable skills and talents, beginning with her realization of just how much technical expertise he displayed in honing them to relative perfection.

In addition to featuring Utamaro's numerous creations, Collia-Suzuki also provides the reader with greater insight into his background and upbringing, shedding light on the formative influences that helped to mold his talent from an early age. Additionally, she exposes revealing truths about specific events in his life that contributed to the lore surrounding it, which serves the ultimate purpose of giving life to the man behind the myth.

By compiling the vast and sundry facets of Utamaro's life into a single volume, Collia-Suzuki has made it possible for art lovers the world over to develop a similar appreciation for the artist's oeuvre of lifelong work - and, hopefully, in so doing she inspires budding artists to aspire to the same level of unparalleled excellence in their own endeavors.


Cherie Mangum
Apex Reviews