Shunga (春画), depicting scenes of lovers making love, were produced actively during the Edo period and spread to the general population. Which of the following artists painted Shunga?
1 Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎)
2 Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿)
3 Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重)
The answers can be found at …….
All of them!
What is shunga anyway?
The existence of paintings with bold depictions of sex has been confirmed in the Heian period. What a surprise that Shunga began such a long time ago! Samurai warriors in the Warring States period sometimes brought their paintings to the battlefield as amulets to ward off evil spirits, so Shunga continued to be made in these times. In the Edo period, when the culture of the townspeople flourished, it reached its peak, known as ‘Makura-e (枕絵/pillow painting)’ or ‘Warai-e (笑い絵/smiling painting)’. The development of printmaking techniques led to the spread of ukiyo-e, and shunga also became a boom among the general public.
Utamaro, Hokusai and other talented painters also painted in this style, resulting in many vivid works using the best techniques of the time, which have been handed down to the present day. For a long time, research and exhibitions were not actively undertaken, but recent reappraisals have raised the profile of Shunga.
Eyecatch image: Kitagawa Utamaro, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This article is translated from https://intojapanwaraku.com/rock/art-rock/227664/
