Kitagawa Utamaro

Kitagawa Utamaro was born in 1753 during the Edo period of Japan. As a printer and painter, Utamaro is considered one of the masters of the ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world) movement.

He specialized in depictions of bijin ōkubi-e, or "large-headed pictures of beautiful women". These women were often presented in domestic settings, with the bond between mother child playfully depicted in scenes such as a mother with a sleepy child and a mother and child bathing.

The mother and child are often intertwined, showing the intimacy of the relationship.  Utamaro’s prints included little atmospheric perspective with backgrounds often left blank or decorated with a simple pattern, focusing the viewer’s eye on the female figures that served as the prints’ subjects.

The women often wear lush clothing with patterns and drapery while the children often wear simpler clothes or are left nude.

Of the many Japanese wood-block artists shown in the 1890 exhibition at Ecole de Beaux-Arts, it is evident why Cassatt was charmed by Utamaro as they had many subject matters in common, including the daily domestic life of women.

Within a year of the exhibition, Cassatt created her own series of prints that were influenced by Utamaro’s scenes, compositions, colors, and the theme of motherly love. But Utamaro did not only influence Cassatt’s prints; he also influenced Cassatt’s paintings.