Utamaro: A Japanese Art Individualist!

The art of Japan is amazing because of its rich variety of styles. I find it very interesting to delve into some of the more intricate Japanese esthetic artistic traditions. One man who is truly unique is the famed painter and printmaker, Utamaro Kitagawa. In my opinion the man is a powerful figure in art because of his exquisite sense of profound traditionalism and yet his rather abrasive modernism that he intellectually embraces at the same time. He started some of his truly powerful art projects when he went to the city of Edo (now Tokyo). Edo was the great urban center of its time. Finally, Utamaro stopped his working on prints for books and began making single portraits of female subjects. His art is fascinating because it captures in a poignant way the intense beauty of Japanese women. It is marvelous to contemplate the wonderful works of the man called Utamaro because in a brilliant way Utamaro brings us into the eyes of the soul and one can enjoy the great beauty that is indicative of most all things Japanese.