Kitagawa Utamaro (1753 – 31 October 1806) was a Japanese artist. He is
one of the most highly regarded designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints
and paintings, and is best known for his bijin ōkubi-e "large-headed
pictures of beautiful women" of the 1790s. He also produced nature
studies, particularly illustrated books of insects.
Little is known of Utamaro's life. His work began to appear in the
1770s, and he rose to prominence in the early 1790s with his portraits
of beauties with exaggerated, elongated features. He produced over 2000
known prints and was one of the few ukiyo-e artists to achieve fame
throughout Japan in his lifetime. In 1804 he was arrested and manacled
for fifty days for making illegal prints depicting the 16th-century
military ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and died two years later.
Utamaro's work reached Europe in the mid-nineteenth century, where it
was very popular, enjoying particular acclaim in France. He influenced
the European Impressionists, particularly with his use of partial views
and his emphasis on light and shade, which they imitated. The reference
to the "Japanese influence" among these artists often refers to the work
of Utamaro.
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Kitagawa Utamaro (h. 1753 - 1806) (su nombre se transliteró igualmente
como Outamaro y Utamaru) era un pintor de estampas japonés, considerado
uno de los mejores artistas de los grabados ukiyo-e. Se le conoce
especialmente por sus magistrales composiciones de mujeres, conocidas
como bijinga. También hizo estudios de la naturaleza, en particular
libros ilustrados de insectos.
Su obra llegó a Europa a mediados del siglo XIX, donde se hizo muy
popular, disfrutando de especial aceptación en Francia. Influyó a los
impresionistas europeos, particularmente por su uso de vistas parciales,
con énfasis en la luz y la sombra.
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