The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 20, 2024
Perspective View of the Interior of the Nakamura Theater with Ichikawa Ebizo II as Yanone Goro
1740
(Japanese, 1686–1764)
Sheet: 40.2 x 63.7 cm (15 13/16 x 25 1/16 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade 1916.1154
Location: not on view
Description
The print illustrates the typical interior of a Kabuki theater. The stage was connected to the audience by the hanamichi, the ramp or runway extending from the stage to the rear of the theater over which the actors would strut in dramatic roles. Patrons often stayed all day for the plays. Unlike quiet Western audiences, Kabuki fans were spirited, buying food from vendors and even shouting praises to their favorite actors as they came onto the stage. In 1734, the first Japanese manual on perspective was printed. Masanobu was probably the first printmaker to use this method of describing three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional support. He helped popularize the perspective print, and he introduced other innovations such as two-color printing and hand-coloring—this print is hand-colored using yellow, red (tan), and red-brown.- Neils, Jenifer. “The Twain Shall Meet.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 72, no. 6, 1985, pp. 326–359. Reproduced: p. 354, fig. 58 www.jstor.org
- Visions of Japan: Prints and Paintings from Cleveland Collections. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 12, 2004- April 10, 2005).The Twain Shall Meet. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 1985-January 5, 1986).Japanese Prints from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 5-October 28, 1934).
- {{cite web|title=Perspective View of the Interior of the Nakamura Theater with Ichikawa Ebizo II as Yanone Goro|url=false|author=Okumura Masanobu|year=1740|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1154