Description
In Mother and Child, Kitagawa Utamaro turns the adult partly away from us toward an oval mirror on a dark table. Her floral robe fills much of the composition, while an older child and a baby occupy the lower left. Their smaller movements bring another activity into the room, connecting the mother’s attention to her appearance with the life around her.
Made around 1793, the work is an ink-and-color woodblock print. The turned figure creates a different kind of portrait, allowing clothing, posture and surrounding objects to reveal a domestic presence without a frontal face. The mirror introduces another direction of looking, while the children bring play and care into the same setting. Utamaro lets these ordinary relationships share the image, making a household moment rich through its connected but distinct activities.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Kitagawa Utamaro collection.
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