Description
In Shells under Water, varied shells, crabs and starfish occupy the lower part of this illustrated spread beneath columns of poetry. Muted wash and pale ground give the small forms a restrained setting. Kitagawa Utamaro brings objects associated with the water into a close encounter, allowing variety and the relationship between image and writing to become the focus rather than a broad landscape.
The 1790 woodblock print uses ink and color on paper. Its subject gives shells a lasting visual presence, allowing things often encountered briefly along water to receive sustained attention. The image’s interest lies in that particular relationship between objects and environment, where the underwater setting remains central without an unsupported explanation of species, symbolism or the circumstances of their collection.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Kitagawa Utamaro collection.
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