Utagawa Sadahide was one of the most famous masters of Japanese woodblock prints, which were used as book illustrations, for example. His oeuvre also includes show prints, depictions of beautiful women (bijin-e), warrior prints (musha-e), and panoramic representations of Japanese cities and landscapes. What all his works have in common is that they were designed in the style of ukiyo-e. They reflect the attitude towards life of the emerging bourgeoisie, which was burgeoning especially in Edo, the former Tokyo, during the Edo period of the same name. Utagawa Sadahide was one of the leading woodblock printmakers who captured the worldview of the Japanese middle classes and expressed it in atmospheric images. He gained notoriety outside of Japan as well, as he was one of eleven artists whose work was featured at the 1867 Paris World's Fair. The exhibition and his popularity in Japan made him one of the leading woodblock print artists of his time.
Little is known about the life of Utagawa Sadahide. It is known that he was born Hashimoto Kenjirō in Shimousa province, now Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures. He enjoyed his training in the studio of Utagawa Kunisada I, where he quickly established himself as one of the most important students. His career began with book illustrations: He produced woodblock prints for the author Jippensha Ikku, which illustrated the first volume of his 1824 work Misaogata tsuge no ogushi. In total, he illustrated more than 230 books in the further course of his work. In the following artistic period, Utagawa Sadahide devoted himself to the depiction of beautiful women and warriors, whom he immortalized in impressive prints. He also made drawings of foreigners who had settled in Yokohama. He was fascinated by their lifestyles and wanted to make them accessible to a wider audience. He later gained popularity, however, primarily through his landscape views and panoramic prints showing details of cities such as Edo, Kyōto and Ōsaka. Furthermore, he captured pilgrimage sites and temple complexes in impressive woodblock prints.
Utagawa Sadahide's woodblock prints are characterized by their colorfulness and vividness. They depict the vibrant city life and the customs of the bourgeoisie during the Edo period and bear witness to the mundanity of the time. The depiction of foreigners living in Japan make a special contribution to this, as they support the cosmopolitanism of Japan during the Edo period. In particular, the depiction of merchant houses, American merchants, and Europeans with their clothing that was foreign to Japan were very popular. The artist also depicted opulent clothing in drawings of beautiful Japanese women, where the kimono with elaborate patterns and details is especially prominent. European, sweeping dresses and uniforms are other details that are repeated subjects in the figurative depictions of the Japanese master printer.
Utagawa Sadahide was one of the most famous masters of Japanese woodblock prints, which were used as book illustrations, for example. His oeuvre also includes show prints, depictions of beautiful women (bijin-e), warrior prints (musha-e), and panoramic representations of Japanese cities and landscapes. What all his works have in common is that they were designed in the style of ukiyo-e. They reflect the attitude towards life of the emerging bourgeoisie, which was burgeoning especially in Edo, the former Tokyo, during the Edo period of the same name. Utagawa Sadahide was one of the leading woodblock printmakers who captured the worldview of the Japanese middle classes and expressed it in atmospheric images. He gained notoriety outside of Japan as well, as he was one of eleven artists whose work was featured at the 1867 Paris World's Fair. The exhibition and his popularity in Japan made him one of the leading woodblock print artists of his time.
Little is known about the life of Utagawa Sadahide. It is known that he was born Hashimoto Kenjirō in Shimousa province, now Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures. He enjoyed his training in the studio of Utagawa Kunisada I, where he quickly established himself as one of the most important students. His career began with book illustrations: He produced woodblock prints for the author Jippensha Ikku, which illustrated the first volume of his 1824 work Misaogata tsuge no ogushi. In total, he illustrated more than 230 books in the further course of his work. In the following artistic period, Utagawa Sadahide devoted himself to the depiction of beautiful women and warriors, whom he immortalized in impressive prints. He also made drawings of foreigners who had settled in Yokohama. He was fascinated by their lifestyles and wanted to make them accessible to a wider audience. He later gained popularity, however, primarily through his landscape views and panoramic prints showing details of cities such as Edo, Kyōto and Ōsaka. Furthermore, he captured pilgrimage sites and temple complexes in impressive woodblock prints.
Utagawa Sadahide's woodblock prints are characterized by their colorfulness and vividness. They depict the vibrant city life and the customs of the bourgeoisie during the Edo period and bear witness to the mundanity of the time. The depiction of foreigners living in Japan make a special contribution to this, as they support the cosmopolitanism of Japan during the Edo period. In particular, the depiction of merchant houses, American merchants, and Europeans with their clothing that was foreign to Japan were very popular. The artist also depicted opulent clothing in drawings of beautiful Japanese women, where the kimono with elaborate patterns and details is especially prominent. European, sweeping dresses and uniforms are other details that are repeated subjects in the figurative depictions of the Japanese master printer.
Page 1 / 1