early life and influences
suzuki harunobu, a japanese designer of woodblock print art in the ukiyo-e style, was born in 1725. little is known about his early life, but it is believed he grew up in kyoto. his work shows evidence of influences from many artists, including torii kiyomitsu, ishikawa toyonobu, the kawamata school, and the kanō school. however, the strongest influence upon harunobu was the painter and printmaker nishikawa sukenobu, who may have been harunobu's direct teacher.artistic career
harunobu began his career in the style of the torii school, creating many works that were skillful but not innovative. however, with his involvement with a group of literati samurai, he tackled new formats and styles. in 1764, harunobu was chosen to aid these samurai in their amateur efforts to create e-goyomi (calendars). these calendar prints would be the first nishiki-e (brocade prints), with harunobu experimenting with better woods for the woodblocks and using more expensive colors.notable works and innovations
- suzuki harunobu's "brocade prints" led to full-color production becoming standard, with ten or more blocks used to create each print.
- his use of multiple separate woodblocks in the creation of a single image was an innovation that depended on using notches and wedges to hold the paper in place.
- harunobu's prints were popular with the chōnin class, who had become wealthy enough to afford to decorate their homes with them.
legacy
suzuki harunobu's work was central to forming the west's perception of japanese art in the late 19th century. his influence can be seen in the landscapes of hokusai and hiroshige, which were popularized during the japonisme trend.- view suzuki harunobu's artworks on AllPaintingsStore
- read more about suzuki harunobu on wikipedia
- explore ukiyo-e art on AllPaintingsStore
notable paintings and artists
- utagawa hiroshige's kyoka tokaido series, seki (view on AllPaintingsStore)
- miyagawa isshō's shimabara courtesans exorcizing demons (view on AllPaintingsStore)
- utagawa kuniyoshi's a votive tablet with masks of kabuki actors at face value (view on AllPaintingsStore)
museums and collections
- indianapolis museum of art (indianapolis, united states)
- fukuoka city museum (fukuoka, japan)
Questions & Answers
Where is Suzuki Harunobu from?
Suzuki Harunobu was born in Japan.
How many artworks by Suzuki Harunobu are available to browse?
You can browse 862 artworks by Suzuki Harunobu on the All Artworks page.
Is there a 3D virtual tour of Suzuki Harunobu's works?
The 3D Museum of Suzuki Harunobu is a page that displays the artist's artworks in a virtual three-dimensional gallery.
