Utamaro and the Spectacle of Beauty: Revised and Expanded Second Edition

Kitagawa Utamaro was a influential artist in the ukiyo-e genre, known for his prints of beautiful women. Julie Nelson Davis offers a new approach to issues of the artist's status, gender, identity, sexuality, and celebrity in the Edo period, with a new preface and images.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 18 January 2021
Publisher: Reaktion Books

Japanese artist Kitagawa Utamaro (1753–1806) was a prominent figure in the late eighteenth-century Japanese art form known as ukiyo-e, or "pictures of the floating world." His prints of beautiful women gained widespread acclaim and continue to be celebrated today. In her book, Julie Nelson Davis delves into Utamaro's life and work, drawing on a wide range of period sources and conducting a close study of selected print sets. Through her reinterpretation of Utamaro in the context of his times, Davis offers a fresh perspective on issues of the artist's status, gender, identity, sexuality, and celebrity in the Edo period. This updated edition, featuring a new preface and numerous new images, is a significant contribution to the field and will be invaluable for readers interested in Japanese arts and cultures.

Weight: 976g
Dimension: 193 x 249 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789142358
Edition number: Second Edition, Revised and Expanded EDI ed.