Utamaro Biography

Master printmaker Utamaro is highly appreciated as the dominating “ukiyo-e” artist of the late eighteenth century, famed for his beautiful portraits of women.

Utamaro´s original name was Ichitaro Kitagawa. He began his career as a pupil of the painter Toriyama Sekien. Utamaro´s early known works are portraits of actors and theater programs, published under the name of Utagawa Toyoaki. In 1781-82 he changed his name to Kitagawa Utamaro and around 1783 Utamaro started a successful cooperation with the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, together publishing several book illustrations.

In 1791, Utamaro began concentrating on single portraits of women. He took his models from the street or from the pleasure district of Yoshiwara. The stories of his love affairs are said to be abundant. In 1793, Utamaro received fame and recognition as a result of a new series of women prints. It is said that Utamaro's women express a sensitivity that no “ukiyo-e” artist had achieved before him. He experimented with new techniques to display the flesh tones of women in a new and softer manner. Utamaro´s prints of women depict idealized physiques, portraying women with extremely tall and slender bodies, closer resembling the women of today´s fashion magazines.

In 1804, at the height of his success, Utamaro was imprisoned for publishing prints related to a banned historical novel. One historic scene depicted the ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi with his wife and five concubines. Utamaro was accused of insulting Hideyoshi's dignity. This was considered as an offense against the ruling Shogunate of the Tokugawa family. This humiliation had a devastating impact on him. He fell into deep depressions and died two years later at the age of 53 in Edo. However, Utamaro continued to produce prints until his death.

The total number of Utamaro prints is estimated at over 2,000 prints, plus a number of paintings, surimono prints and illustrated books - among them more than 30 shunga books.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:

2006
- PicassoMio.com