Artwork Info: Woman Tearing a Love Letter

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Woman Tearing a Love Letter

1785
105.0 x 29.0 cm

katsukawa shunshō (1726 – 1793)

Discover Katsukawa Shunshō, a leading Ukiyo-e artist! Known for kabuki actor prints & beautiful women, he revolutionized Japanese art with innovative styles & techniques.

A woman stands bereft and alone at the entrance to her house, tearing a letter she has clenched in her teeth. Shreds of paper lie scattered at her feet, strands of hair fly about her face, and her robe is disheveled, pointing to her anxious state of mind. Her lack of eyebrows suggests that she is someone’s wife, and together with the torn paper, it can be assumed that she has intercepted a love letter sent from another woman to her husband. Words written on the side of the torn pieces of paper facing toward the viewer are inscribed in dark ink, while those on the other side are in light ink. Shunshō often produced woodblock prints of actors and ukiyo-e paintings of beautiful women.