Ueda Kaishū
Beauty by Maple , circa 1920s
Hanging scroll; ink, mineral pigments, and gofun (clam-shell gesso) on silk
Overall size 83½ x 15½ in. (212 x 39.3 cm)
Image size 56 x 10¾ in. (142 x 27.3 cm)
Image size 56 x 10¾ in. (142 x 27.3 cm)
T-3798
Further images
Side view of a young woman beneath a maple tree. Signed and sealed at top right Kaishū The striking composition of this hanging scroll and of the other one of...
Side view of a young woman beneath a maple tree. Signed and sealed at top right Kaishū
The striking composition of this hanging scroll and of the other one of same size by Kaishu (T-3799) undoubtedly took their inspiration from Isoda Koryūsai (1735–1790), a woodblock-print designer best known for his works in the hashira-e (“pillar-print”) style—their height more than five times their width—originally published during the 1780s but also much in demand among print collectors in the first half of the twentieth century. The artist followed his famed predecessor in exploiting the unusual format to emphasize the elegant pose and attire of two young ladies of his own time.
The striped garment worn by the young lady places her in the early decades of the twentieth century, when a new type of boldly patterned fabric known as meisen enjoyed a vogue among fashionable urban middle-class women. The soft tones of her kimono contrast effectively with the rich mineral hues of the maple tree that grows behind her.
Several artists of this period were active not only as painters but as illustrators, producing designs both for color postcards and for serialized novels in newspapers. Kaishū also published a postcard design of a seated women.
The striking composition of this hanging scroll and of the other one of same size by Kaishu (T-3799) undoubtedly took their inspiration from Isoda Koryūsai (1735–1790), a woodblock-print designer best known for his works in the hashira-e (“pillar-print”) style—their height more than five times their width—originally published during the 1780s but also much in demand among print collectors in the first half of the twentieth century. The artist followed his famed predecessor in exploiting the unusual format to emphasize the elegant pose and attire of two young ladies of his own time.
The striped garment worn by the young lady places her in the early decades of the twentieth century, when a new type of boldly patterned fabric known as meisen enjoyed a vogue among fashionable urban middle-class women. The soft tones of her kimono contrast effectively with the rich mineral hues of the maple tree that grows behind her.
Several artists of this period were active not only as painters but as illustrators, producing designs both for color postcards and for serialized novels in newspapers. Kaishū also published a postcard design of a seated women.