Bandō mitsugorō no tokubei (1818)

Toyokuni Utagawa is the artist behind "Bandō mitsugorō no tokubei", dated 1818. About the period around 1818: Landscape gained new prestige through groups such as the Barbizon painters in France and the Hudson River School in the United States, and by mid-century Realism turned to ordinary people and everyday labour. The first half of the nineteenth century moved from Neoclassicism to Romanticism, which placed emotion, nature, and the sublime at the centre of painting. Illustration, a short history: Printing methods such as woodcut, engraving, lithography, and photomechanical reproduction each shaped how illustrators worked. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are often described as a golden age of book and magazine illustration. It is listed in the Illustration collection. The image is in portrait orientation.

"Bandō mitsugorō no tokubei" is shown in the onlly.art catalogue for reference and browsing. A portrait format suits narrow wall spaces, hallways, and the area beside a door or window. Illustrative graphics are valued for their decorative line work and narrative quality, which makes them a strong fit for gallery walls, kids rooms, studies, and more intimate interiors. Browsing works by the same artist, or from the same period, is a good way to compare styles before choosing what suits your space.

Japanese, 1769–1825

If you like the visual language of Toyokuni Utagawa, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.