Suzuki Harunobu · 1725–1770
Suzuki Harunobu
Suzuki Harunobu was a mid-Edo-period ukiyo-e artist. He gained popularity with slender, delicate beauty paintings and played a decisive role in the birth of the multicolor woodblock nishiki-e print, now the representative form of ukiyo-e prints.
Suzuki Harunobu is said to have been born around 1725 (Kyoho 10). He is said to have studied under Nishikawa Sukenobu in Kyoto and later lived in Edo, and he is also said to have been a pupil of Nishimura Shigenaga. He was a landlord in Kanda Shirakabecho, Edo, and is thought to have been relatively wealthy. He was friends with Hiraga Gennai, who lived nearby, and the two are said to have worked together on nishiki-e techniques.
His first work is said to be an actor print based on a play performed in March 1760 (Horeki 10), and he was active as an ukiyo-e artist for the ten years until his death. The calendar exchange parties held by hatamoto and others from 1765 (Meiwa 2) led to the development of multicolor printing and the nishiki-e boom. Harunobu worked closely with carvers and printers.
He gained popularity with beauty paintings of slender, delicate expression, and many followers appeared. He died in 1770 (Meiwa 7). About 1,000 of his works survive, and many of the principal ones are overseas.
