Give me a museum and I’ll fill it. — Pablo Picasso
Give me a museum and I’ll fill it.
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Shunga (春画) is a Japanese term for erotic art. Most shunga are a type of ukiyo-e, usually executed in woodblock print format. Translated literally, the Japanese word shunga means picture of spring; “spring” is a common euphemism for sex. In the Edo period it was enjoyed by rich and poor, men and women, and despite being out of favour with the shogunate, carried very little stigma.
Almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, including Hokusai, Utamaro, Harunobu, Eisen, Saeshi, Shigenobu, Issho and Moronobu, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists.
The pictures are available as limited edition original fine art prints, signed and numbered by the artist. Contact Bob Kessel for prices and availability.
SHUNGA WOMAN ON TOP erotic art by Bob Kessel
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SHUNGA MAN ON TOP erotic art by Bob Kessel
SHUNGA STARS erotic art by Bob Kessel
SHUNGA STRIPES erotic art by Bob Kessel
SHUNGA SHOJI erotic art by Bob Kessel
SHUNGA MAID erotic art by Bob Kessel
SHUNGA LOVERS erotic art by Bob Kessel
SHUNGA PINK KIMONO erotic art by Bob Kessel
SHUNGA RIDE ‘EM erotic art by Bob Kessel
SHUNGA COUPLE erotic art by Bob Kessel
SHUNGA BIG LEGS erotic art by Bob Kessel
SHUNGA SCREEN erotic art by Bob Kessel
Ukiyo-e (浮世絵), “pictures of the floating world”, is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints (or woodcuts) and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters. It is the main artistic genre of woodblock printing in Japan.
Bob Kessel’s art series is based on Japanese UKIYO-E woodblock prints. These pictures are available as signed and numbered limited edition fine art prints. Contact Bob Kessel for pricing and availability.
IT”S A LONG HARD CLIMB by Bob Kessel
UKIYO-E MENDICANT by Bob Kessel
UKIYO-E HAT UMBRELLA by Bob Kessel
UKIYO-E FUJI HAT by Bob Kessel
UKIYO-E PRIESTS by Bob Kessel
UKIYO-E RAPIDS by Bob Kessel
UKIYO-E BLUE FALLS by Bob Kessel
UKIYO-E ROCK FALLS by Bob Kessel
UKIYO-E WATERFALL by Bob Kessel
UKIYO-E FUJI TREES by Bob Kessel
UKIYO-E FUJI FOG by Bob Kessel
UKIYO-E TRAVELER by Bob Kessel
Usually the word ukiyo is literally translated as “floating world” in English, referring to a conception of an evanescent world, impermanent, fleeting beauty and a realm of entertainments (kabuki, courtesans, geisha) divorced from the responsibilities of the mundane, everyday world; “pictures of the floating world”, i.e. ukiyo-e, are considered a genre unto themselves.
The art form rose to great popularity in the metropolitan culture of Edo (Tokyo) during the second half of the 17th century, originating with the single-color works of Hishikawa Moronobu in the 1670s. At first, only India ink was used, then some prints were manually colored with a brush, but in the 18th century Suzuki Harunobu developed the technique of polychrome printing to produce nishiki-e.
Ukiyo-e were affordable because they could be mass-produced. They were mainly meant for townsmen, who were generally not wealthy enough to afford an original painting. The original subject of ukiyo-e was city life, in particular activities and scenes from the entertainment district. Beautiful courtesans, bulky sumo wrestlers and popular actors would be portrayed while engaged in appealing activities. Later on landscapes also became popular. Political subjects, and individuals above the lowest strata of society (courtesans, wrestlers and actors) were not sanctioned in these prints and very rarely appeared. Sex was not a sanctioned subject either, but continually appeared in ukiyo-e prints. Artists and publishers were sometimes punished for creating these sexually explicit shunga.
BIJINGA (美人画) is a generic term for pictures of beautiful women in Japanese art, especially in woodblock printing of the ukiyo-e genre, which predate photography. The term can also be used for modern media, provided they conform to a somewhat classic representation of a woman, usually depicted wearing a kimono.
Nearly all ukiyo-e artists, including Hokusai and Hiroshige, produced BIJINGA, it being one of the central themes of the genre. However, a few, including Utamaro, Suzuki Harunobu, Toyohara Chikanobu, and Torii Kiyonaga are widely regarded as the greatest innovators and masters of the form.
Bob Kessel has created a new art series titled, “BIJINGA” based on the Ukiyo-e genre wood block prints. The pictures are available as limited edition original fine art prints, signed and numbered by the artist. Contact Bob Kessel for prices and availability.
BIJIN UMBRELLA SNOW by Bob Kessel
BIJIN EYES by Bob Kessel
BIJIN SLEEVE by Bob Kessel
BIJIN NET by Bob Kessel
BIJIN CURTAIN by Bob Kessel
BIJIN HAIR by Bob Kessel
“UKIYO-E WATERFALL” by Bob Kessel, is part of the art series “GRAYSCAPES” which is based on Japanese ink wash scroll paintings. It can be purchased as a signed and numbered limited edition original fine art print. Contact Bob Kessel for prices and availability.
