Screen of Two Dancers (Bugi zu byōbu)
Not on view
Against a blank background sprinkled with gold, two female figures move in rhythmic dance poses and gestures with their opened folding fans. Both wear elaborately patterned "small sleeve" kimonos (kosode), in rich colors with flourishes of gold. Screen paintings such as this, often in the format of six-panel folding screens, evidenced the growing popularity of new forms of dance in the Edo period, and an interest in exhibiting the latest trends in women’s fashions. Early examples of this genre appeared in the early seventeenth century, but this example, from perhaps a century later, preserves the format of the earlier works. Such screen paintings also reflected the trend, in hanging-scroll paintings by ukiyo-e artists, of focusing attention on a single figure posed in stylish and elegant attire.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
