Minneapolis Institute of Art

Kyōsai's Idle Drawings

Kawanabe Kyōsai

Date

1881

Medium

Woodblock printed book, ink and color on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Page after page of this book reveals a strange stream of seemingly disjointed images; it begins with theatrical actors, followed by gods of good fortune, dancing monks, massive fish, running monsters, and ends with landscapes and serene houses. Kawanabe Kyōsai was one of the last masters of the ukiyo-e style of painting as Japan’s tastes changed with the increased availability to Western forms of art. In this picture book, Kyōsai plays with traditional subjects and transforms the serious into the playful: skeletons relax after a bath, monsters share an umbrella, and gods read books. Asia

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