Exhibiting Artists:
Katsukawa Shuncho
Katsukawa Shuncho (1783-1821). Print designer, book illustrator and painter. Shuncho's earliest extant works are the illustrations for the kibyoshi (comic novel) and Tsujin kokoroe chigai ('Misunderstanding by a man about town'). Shuncho produced some book illustrations and he designed many so-called bijinga or 'pictures of beautiful women' as well as nishikie – or 'brocade pictures. ' Shuncho depicted Takashima Ohisa and Naniwaya Okita, well-known beauties of the time who also appear in many of Kitagawa Utamaro's works. Shuncho briefly competed with Kiyonaga, but never developed his own style. Shuncho gave up nishikie around 1790, when Kiyonaga became the fourth-generation head of the TORII school. Shuncho also produced yakushae ('pictures of actors') that show the style of Kiyonaga. Shuncho's nikuhitsuga ('original paintings') are clearly influenced by his teacher, Shunsho.
