Whether as a darkened backdrop for action-packed figural scenes or as a dominant presence over unpeopled landscapes, Japanese printmakers have represented nighttime in various ways over the past several centuries. In the earliest prints shown in this exhibition at the Art Institute , figures are the main focus of each image and darkness simply sets the stage. This is true for the mid- to late 18th-century works of Okumura Masanobu and Suzuki Harunobu, where a solid curtain of black appears behind each dramatic scene. By the 19th century, however, landscape prints were often dominated by the night sky—with or without a moon—and townspeople in urban settings or travelers in rural scenes were less prominent.
The event ends on April 1 4
Location: Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago
Hours: Mon. 11:00 am - 5:00 pm; Thu. 11:00 am - 8:00 pm; Fri-Sun 11:00 am - 5:00 pm