UTAMARO, Kitagawa; Shaving the neck...
Colour woodblock prints emerged as a popular art form in Japan in the late seventeenth century, produced through a collaborative process by the so called 'ukiyo-e quartet' of publisher, artist, block cutter and printer. Bijinga (literally, pictures of beautiful women) were a favourite theme for ukiyo-e artists. Utamaro is considered a master of the subject, creating images that emphasised and romanticised those attributes, both physical and behavioural, which were considered the hallmarks of feminine beauty.
