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
Harunobu’s legacy is maintained through collections in major museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art
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