Harunobu

Harunobu (春信), also romanized as Harunobu Utagawa, was a prominent Japanese ukiyo-e artist active during the mid-18th century. He was born in 1754 in Edo (present‑day Tokyo) and died in 1783. Harunobu is best known for pioneering the use of full‑color printing (kurokuro nishiki-e) on woodblock prints and for his delicate portrayal of beautiful women (bijin‑ga). His most celebrated works include the series “The 12 Months of the Year” (Jūnigatsu no Suzaku) and “After the Rain” (雨上がりの図），which exemplify his nuanced rendering of natural light and fabric.

In the early 1770s, Harunobu became the most prestigious artist in the Buddhist world of ukiyo‑e. His prints, typically small in size (often 20 by 15 cm), were produced in limited editions and were highly sought after by collectors of the time. He employed a combination of subtle shading, fine line work, and a surprisingly restrained palette, which set his style apart from the more flamboyant contemporaries. Harunobu’s influence extended beyond his own canvases; his innovations in color application and compositional harmony were emulated by later artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige, and his methods became a standard in the ukiyo‑e industry.

Harunobu’s legacy is maintained through collections in major museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum, where his prints are celebrated for their artistic precision and historical importance within the narrative of Japanese woodblock printmaking.

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