Artist Name Toraji Ishikawa / ISHIKAWA Toraji. Title Nudes, Ten Kinds of Nudes, Reading. Dimensions Entire size: -30.2 cm (H37.4 cm x W30.2 cm). Print size: H37.4cm x W30.2cm. Remarks Cut to the size of the print. Toraji Ishikawa painted nudes and other images of women and beauties with his skillful use of color. This is one of his best-known works from the “Ten Kinds of Nude Women” series. This work depicts a woman sitting on a carpet with her legs folded, smiling and reading a book. She is reading, but the book in her hand seems to contain illustrations or photographs rather than words, and from the way she is trying to turn the pages with her right hand, it looks like a magazine. The variety of motifs in this work is also interesting: the carpet has a grape pattern and the cushions have animal patterns. The background is decorated with a technique called mica-zuri. This is a technique familiar from ukiyoe paintings by Utamaro Kitagawa and Sharaku Toshusai, in which glittering mica powder or shell powder is used. The result is a beautiful pearl-like luster on the surface of the finished paper, giving it a luxurious finish. Born in Kochi, Japan.
