HUMORIST OF THE FLOATING WORLD

Traditional Japanese woodblock prints are often technically impressive and underwhelmingly generic. Placid warriors, coy courtesans, perfectly rendered fabrics—fetching, but where’s the heart?

The answer is in the work of Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861), the prolific master of ukiyo-e printmaking. His warriors fight in a whirl of angry growls and saturated colours; his kabuki beauties seem to cock an eyebrow; his googly-eyed ghosts often look like they’ve lost a bet. It all has an eerie quality that is both horrifying and funny. The son of a silk-dyer, Kuniyoshi loved to draw as a boy and began studying with a master printmaker when he was 12, but it took him years to find success and his own style. He ultimately earned a following for his innovative compositions and the swashbuckling sense of adventure in his sprawling triptychs and warrior portraits. When Japan began censoring decadent imagery, he infused his prints with a wry humour that subtly taunted those in power.

~ EMILY BOBROW

Kuniyoshi March 21st to June 7th, Royal Academy of Arts, London