Natori Shunsen Explained

was a Japanese woodblock printer, considered by many to be the last master in the art of kabuki yakusha-e "actor pictures".

Biography

He was born Natori Yoshinosuke, the fifth son of a silk merchant, in Yamanashi Prefecture. His family settled in Tokyo shortly after his birth, where he remained until his death in 1960.[1]

From the age of eleven he studied with traditional Nihonga (Japanese-style) painter Kubota Beisen, and was given his artist's name "Shunsen". He subsequently studied at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts.[1] Natori Shunsen developed an interest in kabuki actor portraits while working as an illustrator for the newspaper Asahi Shimbun. During this time, he had the opportunity to meet the publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō, who was the primary force behind the shin-hanga movement.[1]

In 1925, Natori and Watanabe worked together on a series of 36 actor portraits. This series contains some of Natori's finest kabuki designs. Watanabe lavishly produced each print in a limited edition of 150 and sold them only by subscription. The series lasted through 1929, followed by a supplemental series of 15 actor prints produced through 1931.[1]

Natori's actor portraits were mainly in the ōkubi-e (large head) format which allowed him to focus on the expression and emotions of the character's face.[1]

He continued to work as an artist in the kabuki theater, but did not design any other actor prints until the early 1950s. From 1951 to 1954, he again collaborated with Watanabe on another series of 30 actor prints. Like the earlier series, these designs were beautifully printed and are very expressive, especially the ōkubi-e portrait.[1]

His 22-year-old daughter died of pneumonia in 1958. He and his wife committed suicide by poison at their daughter's grave two years later.[2]

His works are held in several museums worldwide, including the British Museum,[3] the Portland Art Museum,[4] the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,[5] the Museum of New Zealand,[6] the Carnegie Museum of Art,[7] the Indianapolis Museum of Art,[8] the Minneapolis Institute of Art,[9] the University of Michigan Museum of Art,[10] the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo,[11] the Harvard Art Museums,[12] the Honolulu Museum of Art,[13] the Los Angeles County Museum of Art,[14] the Saint Louis Art Museum,[15] the Toledo Museum of Art,[16] the Art Gallery of New South Wales,[17] the National Gallery of Australia,[18] and the Brooklyn Museum.[19]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.myjapanesehanga.com/home/artists/natori-shunsen-1886---1960- Natori Shunsen (1886-1960)
  2. Web site: Shin Hanga . Artelino.com . 2016-09-15.
  3. Web site: print British Museum. 2021-01-12. The British Museum. en.
  4. Web site: Bandō Mitsugorō VII as Yari yakko, from the series Shinpan butai no sugata-e (New Stage Portraits). 2021-01-12. portlandartmuseum.us.
  5. Web site: Actor Ichikawa Ennosuke II as Kakudayû, from the series Collection of Portraits by Shunsen (Shunsen nigaoe shû). 2021-01-12. collections.mfa.org. en.
  6. Web site: Loading... Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. 2021-01-12. collections.tepapa.govt.nz.
  7. Web site: CMOA Collection. 2021-01-12. collection.cmoa.org. en.
  8. Web site: Three Beauties by Shunsen: After a Bath (Shunsen bijin Sanshi: Yokugo). 2021-01-12. Indianapolis Museum of Art Online Collection. en.
  9. Web site: Actor Ichikawa Chūsha VII as Takechi Mitsuhide, Natori Shunsen; Publisher: Watanabe Shōzaburō ^ Minneapolis Institute of Art. 2021-01-12. collections.artsmia.org.
  10. Web site: Exchange: Actor Sawamura Sôjûro as Narihira Reizô in "Keisei soga kuruwa kagami", from the series "Shunsen Nigao-e Shû". 2021-01-12. exchange.umma.umich.edu.
  11. Web site: The Independent Administrative Institution National Museum of Art - Collections. 2021-01-12. search.artmuseums.go.jp.
  12. Web site: Harvard. From the Harvard Art Museums' collections Actor Kataoka Nizaemon as Honzō. 2021-01-12. harvardartmuseums.org. en.
  13. Web site: Bando Juzaburo as Seigoro, from the series Portraits of Male Actors in Various Roles (Shunsen Nigao-e Shū), from the series Portraits of Male Actors in Various Roles Honolulu Museum of Art. 2021-01-12. honolulumuseum.org.
  14. Web site: Natori Shunsen LACMA Collections. 2021-01-12. collections.lacma.org.
  15. Web site: Actor Nakamura Shikaku II as Lady Shizuka at Horikawa Palace, from the series "Creative Prints: Collected Portraits by Shunsen". 2021-01-12. Saint Louis Art Museum. en-US.
  16. Web site: Bando Hikosaburo VI as Servant Matsuomaru, from "Creative Prints, Collection of Portraits by Shunsen". 2021-01-12. emuseum.toledomuseum.org. en.
  17. Web site: Total view of Kamakura with a distant view of Enoshima in Sagami Province, 1860 by NATORI Shunsen. 2021-01-12. www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au.
  18. Web site: Shunsen. Natori. Sawamura Sojuro as Mitsugi. 2021-01-12. Item held by National Gallery of Australia.
  19. Web site: Brooklyn Museum. 2021-01-12. www.brooklynmuseum.org.

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