Description
Nakamura Tomijūrō I appears in a female dance role, making movement and theatrical transformation the subject of Katsukawa Shunshō’s print. Several female-role figures move beneath broad umbrellas, their patterned robes giving the gathering a flowing rhythm. The overhead shapes frame the activity, joining costume and carried objects to the shared movement of the performance.
Created around 1777, the nishiki-e woodblock print was made with ink and color on paper. A dance exists through changing gestures, yet a printed image offers a point at which that flow can be considered closely. Shunshō preserves the idea of a performed feminine identity within that concentrated moment. Its appeal lies in the meeting of bodily expression and role, where the actor’s presence gives a temporary appearance a lasting form.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Katsukawa Shunshō collection.
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