Katsukawa Shuncho, Erotic Print for the Twelve Months, Shunga
Artist: Katsukawa Shuncho (ac. 1780 - 1795)
Title: Erotic Print for the Twelve Months
Date: c. 1758
Size: 24.8 x 38.2 cm
Original Japanese woodblock print.
Shunga (lit. 'springtime pictures') are graphic images, woodblock prints or ink paintings, picturing intimate, erotic activity. The images emphasise joyful facial expressions and feature excessive genitals of both male and female partners. Primarily, erotic pictures were used for viewing and sharing with close friends or partners as well as providing sexual education for young couples. Shunga depicted sexual pleasure or female sexuality as an important matter worth to be acknowledged and encouraged.
In this print, a couple is portrayed with a look of delight on their faces as they gaze at the idyllic nature outside the house while engaging in intercourse. The bird flying in the clear sky and the fact they are situated on the open window indicates warm, pleasant weather.
Shuncho Katsukawa
Katsukawa Shuncho was a Japanese designer of ukiyo-e style Japanese woodblock prints, who was active from about 1783 to about 1795. Although a student of Katsukawa Shunsho, Shuncho's output, which consists mostly of prints of beautiful women and shunga, more closely resembles the work of Torii Kiyonaga.
| Print Format | Oban (Horizontal) |
|---|---|
| Artist | Shuncho Katsukawa |
| Subject | Beauty & Female, Male & Female, Shunga Erotica |
| Dimensions | 24.8 x 38.2 cm |
| Condition Report | Backing. Discolouration, light creases and soiling. |
