Young Man Smoking with a Courtesan - Kitagawa Utamaro
Archival giclée
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Description
An intimate woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro depicting a young man and a courtesan in a moment of quiet leisure.
This woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro depicts an intimate scene within the pleasure quarters of Edo-period Japan. The composition features a young man reclining while holding a smoking pipe, positioned beside a courtesan who rests her head upon her hand. Utamaro, a master of the bijin-ga genre, focuses on the psychological connection between the figures, moving away from the rigid stylisation common in earlier prints. His ability to capture subtle facial expressions and the grace of the human form defined his contribution to the Ukiyo-e tradition.
The print demonstrates the technical precision of the era, particularly in the rendering of the textiles. The courtesan wears a layered kimono featuring varied patterns, including floral motifs and geometric designs, which contrast with the more muted attire of the man. The background includes a screen decorated with a repeating pattern, providing a sense of interior space without relying on Western-style perspective. The colour palette remains balanced, utilising soft purples, reds, and earthy tones that have aged with the paper to create a harmonious visual effect.
Utamaro was known for his focus on the lives of women in the Yoshiwara district, often elevating their status through his art. This work captures a quiet moment of leisure, reflecting the social atmosphere of the time. The fine lines used to delineate the hair and the delicate features of the subjects demonstrate the skill of the carver and printer who worked alongside the artist. This print offers a window into the aesthetic values of late eighteenth-century Japan, where fashion, social interaction, and artistic expression converged within the floating world.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
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.
Care and materials
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
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
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
Young Man Smoking with a Courtesan - 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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