Extra-ordinary Anatomy: The Human Figure in Japanese Prints

This installation focuses on the distinctive characteristics of the human figure as depicted in Japanese prints from the Edo and early Meiji periods (between 1700 and 1900): crooked backs, sloping necks, contorted feet, twisted heads, sinewy arms, and potbellies. Drawn only with contour lines, but rendered as if in three dimensions, the figures in these prints seem to present the antithesis of anatomical correctness according to Western academic standards. Instead, they demonstrate their artists’ own concepts of anatomy and strong understanding of space.

The history of the human body in Japan differs greatly from that in Europe and America. In Heian Japan, for instance, women blackened their teeth and shaved off their eyebrows. The practice of teeth blackening continued during the Edo period, when female courtesans also began putting wax into their hair to facilitate elaborate, stiff hairstyles. Men shaved the tops of their heads and wore the remainder in a bun; in the summertime, they would bare their skin, wearing only fundoshi, or loincloths. This history of style and conceptions of the body is reflected in the prints presented here. Four themes highlight this history: muscles, clothing, faces, and the relationship between the body and nature.

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Musculature

This group emphasizes how printmakers depicted muscles. One could say that the muscles are over-rendered: the bamboo cutter has exceptionally wrinkled limbs and facial features. This manner of portrayal was common for old men, who in these prints have sagging bellies, crooked legs, and joints like those of marionettes.  (x1965-41, x1983-96, x1983-35, x1983-56, x1983-90, x1983-104, 1997-548, x1983-97)

Facial Features

The subjects in this group have unusual facial expressions: bulging, crossed eyes, comically downturned mouths, and miniscule features that express anxiety, humor, intrigue, amusement, anger, and pleasure. In the print by Utamaro, Courtesan Passing a Letter, the two women have small eyes and even tinier mouths set in the expanse of their white, oval faces. In the print by Shunsho, Actor Dancing, the frizzy-haired, dancing actor bites his nails and has a cartoonish frown. (x1991-260, x1991-274, x1983-102, x1946-388, 2011-93, x1983-93)

The Body as Landscape

These prints blur the boundaries between landscape art and the art of the figure. In Hokusai’s print of Kaosho Rochishin, parts of the monk’s body adopt the forms of forest flora. The hair on his body resembles tufts of grass, while his robe extends out from him in a manner reminiscent of tree roots. In the large shun-ga (“spring” picture) print, titled Lovers, the robes become the surface for a landscape, including a bridge, a Shinto gate, and, to the far left, a priest or aristocrat. In Hokusai’s landscapes from the 100 Views of Fuji series, the figures blend into their settings.  (x1940-8.2.10, x1940-8.2.24, 2011-59 a-b, x1940-8.2.25, x1983-109, x1940-8.2.12, 2009-35, 2000-258, x1940-8.2.19)

Kimonos Extending the Body

In Japanese prints, clothing often conceals and distorts proportions. Figures wear garments that make them appear larger than life. This is seen in the print of an actor by Shunkosai Hokushu. The outsized actor stands in the foreground, and a fabric hanging almost totally obscures the figures in the background. In some prints, female bodies, mostly hidden by their kimonos, take on extreme proportions: miniscule hands and feet and elongated necks peek out from column-like robes in a serpentine manner. (x1965-45, x1942-308, x1991-277, 2007-162, x1985-127, x1983-28 , 2011-39, 2013-5)

Veronica Nicholson, Class of 2016