Utagawa Kuniyoshi ( 歌川國芳 1798-1861 ) was a Japanese master artist well versed in the ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting. The themes of his art work, often realized in bold and vibrant colors ran the gamut from legendary samurai characters, landscapes, beautiful women, Kabuki actors, cats and more. Some of his work were influenced by Western style landscape painting.

This comprehensive volume ( Utagawa Kuniyoshi – His Pictorial Eloquence In The 21st Century ) documents the full breadth of his life’s artistic creations with almost 300 pages of his prints and drawings beautifully reproduced. The book is a catalogue for the Utagawa Kuniyoshi exhibition held at the Fuchu Art Museum in March 2017.

(above) Portraits made up of composite human figures – I’m curious if a particularly nasty creature ( also formed by smaller human figures ) found in Hiroya Oku’s Gantz : Osaka manga was inspired by Kuniyoshi’s work.

(above) Kuniyoshi’s prints of epic battle scenes are especially dramatic and impressive. (below) Art work with homage to Western pieces.

(above) The woodblock triptych Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre was one of the creative influences behind Laika’s highly acclaimed stop motion film Kubo And The Two Strings ( image below ).

Together with masters like Hokusai and Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi was one of the most influential Japanese artists who ever lived. This big art book is a grand collection of his art work all in one volume and is an excellent way to appreciate his beautiful prints. My highest recommendations.

“Utagawa Kuniyoshi – His Pictorial Eloquence In The 21st Century 歌川国芳 21世紀の絵画力″ art book details :

– Dimensions – 25 x 19.2 x 2.8 cm
– Soft cover, 288 pages
– Full color, In Japanese

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