Origins & Early Life

Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川 歌麿; Japanese pronunciation: [ɯ.ta.ma.ɾo], c. 1753 – 31 October 1806) was a Japanese artist. He is one of the most highly regarded designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings, and is best known for his bijin ōkubi-e "large-headed pictures of beautiful women" of the 1790s. He also produced nature studies, particularly illustrated books of insects.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Little is known of Utamaro's life. His work began to appear in the 1770s, and he rose to prominence in the early 1790s with his portraits of beauties with exaggerated, elongated features. He produced over 2000 known prints and was one of the few ukiyo-e artists to achieve fame throughout Japan in his lifetime. In 1804 he was arrested and manacled for fifty days for making illegal prints depicting the 16th-century military ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and died two years later. Utamaro's work reached Europe in the mid-nineteenth century, where it was very popular, enjoying particular acclaim in France.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He influenced the European Impressionists, particularly with his use of partial views and his emphasis on light and shade, which they imitated. The reference to the "Japanese influence" among these artists often refers...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Antoine de Rivarol — Contemporary (Born in 1753) (1753): French royalist writer and translator active during the tumultuous Revolutionary era.
• Dugald Stewart — Contemporary (Born in 1753) (1753): Key figure of the Scottish Enlightenment, renowned philosopher and mathematician.
• George Berkeley — Contemporary (Died in 1753) (1753): Founder of immaterialism and a key figure in 18th-century empiricism.
• Benito Juárez — Contemporary (Born in 1806) (1806): Pioneering Indigenous President of Mexico, champion of Liberal reforms and the Republic.
• Chaim Yosef David Azulai — Contemporary (Died in 1806) (1806): Prominent 18th-century Sephardi rabbinical scholar and bibliophile.
• Charles-Augustin de Coulomb — Contemporary (Died in 1806) (1806): Pioneering physicist known for Coulomb's Law of Electrostatics and work on friction.
• Alexander Borodin — Shared historical date (10-31 · Born) (1833): Russian Romantic composer, chemist, and physician known for 'Prince Igor' and symphonies.
• Chiang Kai-shek — Shared historical date (10-31 · Born) (1887): Revolutionary leader of the Republic of China, governing from 1925 to 1975.
• Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla — Historical peer (Born in 1753) (1753): Mexican priest and leader, recognized as the Father of Mexican Independence.
• Jean-Honoré Fragonard — Historical peer (Died in 1806) (1806): Master of the Rococo era, known for exuberant, intimate, and erotic genre scenes.
• 1753 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1753
• 1806 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1806
• October 31 (10-31) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on October 31