Posted by John Fiorillo on August 21, 1998 at 02:41:56:
In Reply to: Eizan Kikukawa posted by mombird on August 20, 1998 at 20:55:25:
: Can any one tell me anything about Eizan Kikubawa?
: Thanks, mombird
Response from JF:
KIKUGAWA EIZAN (1787-1868)
Ukiyo-e painter and printmaker. His father (Kikugawa Eiji) was a fan maker and painter. Eizan studied with Suzuki Nanrei and Iwakubo Hokkei. Most of his single-sheet prints date between circa 1806 – late 1820s, with a few possibly as early as 1801-04 and a few later from the 1830s. Influenced strongly by the great Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806), whose works he occasionally copied or whose compositional style he assimilated. Other less obvious influences included the well-known ukiyo-e masters Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Toyokuni I, and Utagawa Kunisada. Still, by the time he hit his stride in the early 1810s, Eizan had developed his own typology for beautiful women (sometimes nicknamed "doll faces" for their placid demeanor and lack of earthiness). His later style is often associated with the so-called "decadence" attributable to what many see as the demise of ukiyo-e. Certainly his later prints include some uninspired works, and his female typology included a significant shift away from slim, charming figures toward figures of greater amplitude, angularity, and weight. Many of his designs involved the subject of fûryû ("elegant" or "fashionable"); the term is found in a great many of his print and series titles. As a result, Eizan was especially known for his designs of women and has generally been judged as the most important immediate successor to Utamaro in this field. His most charming prints are perhaps those depicting women with children.
The best recent monographs on the artist are by Eiko Kondo: (1) Eizan: Nippon ukiyo-e hakubutsukan shozô ("Eizan: Collection of the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum"), Tokyo 1996; and (2) Il Mondo di Eizan ("The World of Eizan"), Rome 1989.