Assignment 3: My Print and Paper

Utagawa Kunisada (signed Toyokuni) (1786 – 1865)

Two Onnagata and a Puppet

A Brief Artist Background:

Not surprisingly, I was able to find much more information on Utagawa Kunisada than on the actual print itself. He was supposedly the most popular of the 19th-century ukiyo-e woodblock print designers by a long stretch 1. Likewise, he was also arguably the most successful pupil of Toyokuni (from whom he acquired the moniker under which he signed this print) 1. Despite the incredible popularity he exhibited during his living career, however, art scholars looked down on his work for many years, due mostly to his extensive use of loud colors; it was often dubbed obnoxious and inferior to earlier, more traditional prints, which relied significantly less on colors 1, 2. Fortunately, the past eight decades or so have seen a revival of Kunisada’s work in the scholarly community, and a great number of his prints have been unearthed and placed under intensive study. With regards to his work as a whole, he did use a lot of bold coloring, as stated above 1. Furthermore, more than half of his prints are kabuki actor prints, which makes this particular piece a good example of his work.

About the Print:

As I have said, I could not find any concrete information on this specific print with regards to what exactly it is portraying, its date of origin, etc. We do know for sure, however, that it dates back to the 19th-century and that it is considered to be a later-era ukiyo-e print. This is inferred for two reasons. First, virtually none of Kunisada’s prints were produced before 1800 1. Considering this as well as the year of Kunisada’s death would place the image somewhere between the years of 1800 and 1865. The second reason refers back to the print’s colors. The employment of bold colors such as the deep blues, reds and yellows seen here is most often attributed to the later era of ukiyo-e woodblock prints 2. The earlier works most often feature simpler, fainter colors, if any at all, and certainly none as intense as the ones seen in Two Onnagata and a Puppet. Moving on, like most of Kunisada’s work, this print depicts two male kabuki actors costumed as women (as was the tradition of kabuki theater), one middle-aged, and one elderly. The middle-aged woman on the right is holding a doll, which is meant to represent a child on the stage. The snowflakes, as well as the snow on the tree branches in the background, indicate that the season is winter. More particularly, however, the presence of plum blossoms specifies that it is late winter.

Analysis:

I will begin by further discussing the implications of the nature imagery that is presented in this image. As stated above, the snowflakes, the snow on the tree branches, and the plum blossoms collectively indicate that it is near the close of winter. This highlights the concept of seasonal cycles; that is, the death and stagnancy of winter are coming to an end, and the rebirth and revitalization of spring are imminent. This of course signifies new life and fresh horizons. I would, therefore, venture to connect this to the child (or doll) that the younger woman on the right is holding. The dawning of spring symbolizes his youth and the long years he has ahead of him as well as, on a grander scale, the beginning of a new generation. Thus, the nature imagery and the presence of the young boy together add the theme of renewal to this image.

This concept contrasts directly with the presence of the elderly woman in the image. She is placed off to the side, gazing upon the mother and her child with a very grave, almost disconcerted image on her face. This interaction between the humans represents the victory of youth and vitality over old age and decay that is symbolized by this particular seasonal shift. Perhaps the elderly woman’s expression can be better described as one of jealousy, then? Regardless, this means that not only the presence of the nature imagery and the boy, but also the interaction that is happening between the characters here serve to illustrate the transition from death to new life.

Next, I would like to discuss the perspective that we as the viewers have of this print and how it functions in our interpretation of the image. In short, the perspective creates the dark-haired, middle-aged woman as the image’s main focus. This occurs in several ways. First of all, the viewer is positioned directly in front of the younger woman and her child. They are the figures in this image that we are geographically closest to. Secondly, all of the images in this print seem to revolve around the mother; the boy clings to her dependently, the elderly woman fixes her perturbed gaze upon her, presumably as the source of her trouble, and the snow and plum blossoms fall into the background. We as the viewers are also dependent on her to an extent, much like the boy is: hers is the only gaze that we are able to meet. We are figuratively anchored to her as she stares back out at us; the elderly woman pays us no attention, and due to our perspective, we only see the little boy’s back. We thus establish a more intimate relationship with the younger woman than with any other of the print’s figures, which makes her the central image around which the rest of the print is based.

I would also like to examine the different postures and facial expressions of the two women in greater detail. I will begin with the younger woman, since again she is the key character in the image. I would describe her expression as wise, but in a mischievous, almost playful sort of way. This is due to the manner in which her head is lowered and tilted to our right, so that she is looking at us out of the corner of her eye. This lends an air of mystery to her character, as if she knows something that we do not. The fact that I describe her as “mischievous” suggests that she is perhaps the cause of the elderly woman’s distressed expression, which in turn brings us to that other character. While the younger woman is in a sitting position and seems more relaxed, the older one is standing quite stiffly and glaring angrily down upon her. Her arms also look as if they are folded in an expression of irritation and crossness. This suggested relationship between the two women creates the myth of some sort of mother-daughter feud between them. To me, the impish expression of the younger woman suggests the idea of a somewhat reckless, disobeying daughter that has done something to annoy her elderly mother. Or, on a less dramatic scale, perhaps the presence of the boy indicates that she is raising her child in a way that her mother disapproves of.

Lastly, I would like to discuss the function of the various colors found in this image, primarily those of the two women’s robes. First, the light purple shade of the middle-aged woman’s robe, together with the white designs that checker it, combine to form a fairly cheerful color scheme that I believe induces a light, almost jovial sensation. I think that this is a reflection of her youth, as well as the girlish smirk that I discuss above. This is obviously in direct contrast with the elderly woman. Her robes, on the other hand, are colored in a much darker, more dismal fashion. In this way, they possess an opposite effect of that of the younger woman’s clothing: a much more sober one of maturity. The gloomy mixture of gold, maroon and dark blue serves to create for this woman an air of murkiness and even grimness. This symbolizes death, which of course is the exact opposite atmosphere of that of the younger woman. Therefore, I would argue that this color contrast sets up the age difference between the two women, which alludes to the transitions I discussed earlier between winter and spring, and death and rebirth.

Therefore, such observations considered, this ukiyo-e woodblock print uses these various techniques and implications to express its ultimate theme of eventual revitalization from the winter of old-age and death.

References:

1. Walker, Ross. “Utagawa Kunisada.” http://www.ohmigallery.com/Gallery/Kunisada/Kunisada.htm
2. Japan-Zone. “Ukiyo-e.” http://www.japan-zone.com/culture/ukiyoe.shtml


-Dan Barlekamp