Torii kiyonaga biography of christopher
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Ashmolean Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art
‘Pictures of beautiful women' (bijinga) is a popular theme in Japanese prints. It has been one of the fundamental sources in the development of 'pictures of the floating world' (ukiyo-e), which includes both paintings and the more widely appreciated ukiyo-e wood block prints. Ukiyo-e traces its origins back to bijinga from the Kanbun era (1661-73), incorporating the theme of 'bad places’ (akusho), which were the kabuki and pleasure quarters of those days.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), bijinga developed particularly using images of courtesans of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters who were known as the 'Flowers of Edo', but also from images of the beauties at famous tea shops and ladies from samurai families. Other subject matters in ukiyo-e were kabuki actors, landscapes, satires of historical and political figures, legendary heroes and flowers and birds. However, th
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Study Torii Kiyonaga
I took up painting later in my life, finding this form of relaxation rewarding. I began drawing with charcoal and pencil. These mediums were safe and could be used easily without fuss or preparation. Since retirement, with time I have discovered that painting enables me to express myself using colour, it also challenges me.
I paint in my "studio" a space I designed in the new family-room we built, not really believing I would ever have the time to use this space, however since retirement I have found it a perfect spot with the beautiful even southern light falling through the large windows. My husband and I bought a spot down south as a place to relax. This has become our second studio. We call it the "Studio on Bungala". It is a great place to lose myself in time and paint. Subjects for painting are chosen from life, places I have travelled, perhaps an Valley in Italy, or a street in Port Adelaide, or landscape on the Fleurieu Peninsular. I am explo
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Ukiyo-e
I’ve been fascinated by Edo-period Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo-e, or floating world pictures) for a few years. For me it all actually started after a friend dragged me along to the British Museum’s Shunga exhibition in 2013. The imagery was really strange, stylised and intriguing so I started to read up on it and found a world full of art, symbolism, history and subversion that inom literally didn’t know had ever existed. I was hooked.
Later inom broadened my interest into the more traditional actor prints (yakusha-e) and pictures of beautiful women (bijin-ga) because these are far more beautiful and also give you more of a clue about the artist themselves. As I’m sure you’ll guess, my interests are always fuelled by identification and the normal prints are usually signed, while shunga were often banned so artists produced them secretly.
Some history
This period of Japanese history (1603-1868) is named after the city of