Description
Segawa Tomisaburō II appears as an elaborately dressed courtesan in the left part of this displayed two-panel scene, with a black-robed male figure beside her on the right. Maple branches extend above the pair, tying their separate positions into a shared setting. Katsukawa Shunshō’s composition invites attention to the relationship between figures as well as to the rich costume of the named actor’s female role.
Katsukawa Shunshō’s color woodblock print dates to around 1785. Made with ink and color on paper, it gives the theatrical subject a form that can be examined outside the unfolding drama. The work invites attention to how a role acquires presence through a performer, allowing a simple standing figure to remain a layered encounter between identity, interpretation and setting.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Katsukawa Shunshō collection.
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