Kunichika | Alcohol Lover, Modern Models of Manners
豐原国周Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900)
开花人情镜 倾杯
Alcohol Lover, from the series of Modern Models of Manners
1878
木版画 | 纵绘大判 | 36cm x 25cm
Woodblock-print | Oban tate-e | 36cm x 25cm
早期版次；颜色鲜艳；品相非常好
Great impression, color and condition
$500
《开花人情镜》，为丰原国周于1878年创作的美人锦绘系列。全套共37张，包括1张总目录与36张正幅。高产的国周在此系列中描绘了多个平凡却雅致的生活场景，展现着幕末明治期民众的种种细微情绪。虽略带颓靡之态，但画风明丽，构图简洁，是国周创作成熟期的名作之一。“谈谐终日夕，觞至辄倾杯。”倾杯，即饮酒。古往今来，无数名士豪杰皆为美酒倾倒：晋陶渊明酒兴高致，采菊东篱；初唐王绩简傲嗜酒，因能饮五斗而不醉，故自作《五斗先生传》；诗仙李白更是“天子呼来不上船”，会须一饮三百杯。作为一个同样酒文化盛行的国家，幕末明治期的日本，在空气中自上而下弥漫的，仍是一股淡淡的清酒味。时代更迭中的百姓们，最适应的还是通过饮酒一浇胸中块垒。美人一杯倾入喉，稍拭嘴边残酒，双瞳迷离，几根鬓丝垂落，玉身微仰，一副醉态初露。鲜红纯色的背景底上并无他物，足够惹眼。似乎正代表着美人睁眼瞬间，世间一片带着暖意的虚无。
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Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900)
Toyohara Kunichika’s father ran a bathhouse, and there’s a good deal of sly humor and energy in his son’s work, whether it be in his depictions of historical scenes, beautiful women — bijin — or a gaggle of naked beautiful women cavorting joyously in, yes, a bathhouse.
But without a doubt, Kunichika’s most important genre was yakusha-e, woodblock prints of kabuki actors and scenes from popular plays.
A student of Kunisada, Kunichika worked in both the Edo and Meiji periods and produced more than 120 series for more than 100 publishers. He was fascinated by examples of Western art then being seen for the first time in Japan. Andreas Marks, in his fine book, “Japanese Woodblock Prints,” notes that Kunichika often placed his scenes within frames as if they were oil paintings. And so it was a great honor when he was asked to contribute to the world exhibition in Paris in 1867, at the very dawn of Modern Japan.