Sorry Out of Stock Clark, Timothy; Gerstle, C Andrew; Ishigami, Aki; Yano, Akiko [eds.] Catalogue No.: k1898
Publisher: | London: The British Museum Press | Edition: | First Edition; Published Date: 2013 | Illustrations: | Over 400 colour plates, some folding | Dimensions: | 300 x 260 mm (12 x 10 inches) - 536pp. | Appearance: | Red hardback cloth cover. | Condition: | VG : in very good condition with rubbed and lightly edge worn dust jacket. Previous owner name plate to front pastedown. |
Published to accompany the Shunga: Sex and Pleasure in Japanese Art exhibition at the British Museum October 2013 - January 2014.
Most shunga are a type of ukiyo-e, usually executed in woodblock print format. While rare, there are extant erotic painted handscrolls which predate ukiyo-e.
Translated literally, the Japanese word shunga means picture of spring; "spring" is a common euphemism for sex.
The ukiyo-e movement as a whole sought to express an idealisation of contemporary urban life and appeal to the new shonin class. Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo-period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality. As a subset of ukiyo-e it was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, despite being out of favour with the shogunate. Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers.
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