Beauty with Demons 18th century Suzuki Harunobu Japanese In stunning contrast, Harunobu's satiric treatment of the subject transforms the solemn guardian deity Sh?ki into a chicken-hearted Peeping Tom. Instead of repelling an evil spirit, Sh?ki assigns to it the role of a love-letter messenger. Standing on a craggy overhang with his finger in his mouth, a traditional gesture of envy and desire, he lowers the small demon with a folded letter to an unsuspecting woman by the shore, who is absolutely absorbed in pinning up her hair. The elongated format of the hashira-e, or pillar print, enhances
Beauty with Demons 18th century Suzuki Harunobu Japanese In stunning contrast, Harunobu's satiric treatment of the subject transforms the solemn guardian deity Sh?ki into a chicken-hearted Peeping Tom. Instead of repelling an evil spirit, Sh?ki assigns to it the role of a love-letter messenger. Standing on a craggy overhang with his finger in his mouth, a traditional gesture of envy and desire, he lowers the small demon with a folded letter to an unsuspecting woman by the shore, who is absolutely absorbed in pinning up her hair. The elongated format of the hashira-e, or pillar print, enhances the drama of the observer and Beauty with Demons. Suzuki Harunobu (Japanese, 1725–1770). Japan. 18th century. Woodblock print (hashira-e); ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615–1868). Prints
Size: 722px × 3899px
Photo credit: © MET/BOT / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords:
