Mosquito Net for a Baby - Kitagawa Utamaro
Archival giclée
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Description
A delicate ukiyo-e woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro, capturing a quiet, intimate moment between a mother and her infant beneath a mosquito net.
This woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro depicts a domestic scene involving a mother and her infant sheltered beneath a mosquito net. Utamaro is known for his focus on the lives of women in Edo-period Japan, often capturing quiet, private moments with a sense of intimacy. The composition uses the bamboo frame of the net to create a geometric structure that frames the figures, drawing the eye toward the interaction between the mother and child.
The print employs a muted palette, characteristic of the period, with soft greens, pale pinks, and warm beige tones. The mother is shown reclining, her gaze directed toward the baby, while another figure looks on from behind the netting. The use of line is precise, defining the folds of the kimono and the delicate structure of the bamboo frame. Utamaro uses the transparency of the net to create layers within the image, allowing the viewer to see through the mesh to the figures inside. This technique adds a sense of depth to the otherwise flat composition.
Utamaro was a master of the bijin-ga genre, which focused on portraits of beautiful women. In this work, he shifts his attention to a more domestic subject, moving away from the stylised portraits of courtesans often found in his other series. The print captures a universal human experience, rendered with the technical skill of the ukiyo-e tradition. The balance of the composition, combined with the subtle colour choices, creates a calm atmosphere. It is a fine example of the artist's ability to observe and record the daily life of his contemporaries with sensitivity and technical precision.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
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Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
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- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Mosquito Net for a Baby - Kitagawa Utamaro
Artist Biography
Kitagawa Utamaro
Almost nothing is certain about his early life. He was born around 1753, possibly in Edo, possibly in Kyoto, possibly in Kawagoe. He began publishing prints in the 1770s under the guidance of the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, who recognised what Utamaro could do with a portrait of a woman.
What he could do was unprecedented. He invented the okubi-e format: large head-and-shoulders portraits of individual women, mostly from the Yoshiwara pleasure district, printed in close-up with minimal background. Before Utamaro, bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) showed groups of figures in full length. He isolated the face, the tilt of the head, the expression. The prints are psychologically specific in a way that had not existed in Japanese printmaking.
He also published books of insect studies and volumes of shunga (erotica), and he made portraits of ordinary town women, not just courtesans. Ohisa and Okita, two shopgirls who appeared in his Three Beauties of the Present Day, became famous across Edo because of his prints. He turned real people into celebrities, which may be the first documented instance of an artist functioning as a kind of media platform.
Tsutaya Juzaburo died in 1797. Utamaro was reportedly devastated. Some critics feel his work never reached the same level afterward. He produced over two thousand prints in his career.
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