Description
Nakamura Utaemon I appears as a monk beneath a willow tree, bringing a religious guise into the setting of a theatrical image. The monk wears a dark robe above a pale lower garment, with hands gathered and a willow behind. The restrained gesture gives the actor’s assumed religious identity a quiet focus, while the tree connects the figure to a modest, tangible setting.
The nishiki-e print was made with ink and color on paper during Katsukawa Shunshō’s Edo-period career. The actor is shown performing the religious character, preserving the difference between a stage role and personal identity. Its interest lies in that transformation, where a performer gives an assumed way of life a visible human form. Shunshō joins role and setting, making the theatrical encounter specific through the relationship between the person and the tree beside him.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Katsukawa Shunshō collection.
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