Artwork
戯場水滸伝百|Three Heroes of the Water Margin Capture the Bandit Queen Ichijōsei, from the series One Hundred Eight Heroes of the Theater Suikoden
戯場水滸伝百|Three Heroes of the Water Margin Capture the Bandit Queen Ichijōsei, from the series One Hundred Eight Heroes of the Theater Suikoden is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Shunbaisai Hokuei 春梅斎北英. It dates from 1835 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This tetraptych woodblock print, created by Shunbaisai Hokuei around 1835, is part of a series depicting heroes from the Theater Suikoden.
About this work
Overview
This tetraptych woodblock print, created by Shunbaisai Hokuei around 1835, is part of a series depicting heroes from the Theater Suikoden. It is a vertical ōban print, comprising four panels of ink and color on paper.
Subject & Meaning
The print illustrates a dramatic scene from the Water Margin, showing a warrior in patterned armor and a red hat, poised to strike under a tree branch. The scene is set against a tense backdrop of snowy mountains and dark clouds, suggesting a moment of action or confrontation.
Technique & Style
The print features bold colors and intricate patterns on the warrior's armor, contrasting with the cool tones of the sky. The artist achieved texture through fine lines, evident in the tree's bark, demonstrating a technique akin to cross-hatching.
Artist & collection
Artist
Hokuei spent his life in Osaka, a busy port city where art and theater mixed like ink in water.
Untitled
春梅斎北英画 二代目嵐璃寛 『当世化粧鏡』|Kabuki Actor Arashi Rikan II as Akogi Heiji, from the print series Tōsei keshōkagami (Makeup Mirrors of Our Time)
春江斎北英画 二代目嵐璃寛 見立 「百物語」|Kabuki Actor Arashi Rikan II as Iemon Confronted by an Image of His Murdered Wife, Oiwa, on a Broken Lantern, Referring to Katsushika Hokusai’s Hyaku monogatari (One Hundred Ghost Stories)
四代目中村歌右衛門 「関取千両幟」|The Actor Nakamura Utaemon IV as the Wrestler Iwakawa Jirokichi
