Kiyonobu Torii

Background

Kiyonobu Torii was born in 1664 in Japan.

Education

Kiyonobu Torii moved, with his father, to Edo (modern Tokyo) when he was twenty-four, and emerged there as a major artist with a unique style. Kiyonobu's work is regarded as being highly influenced by that of Hishikawa Moronobu (d. 1694), the father of ukiyo-e; Kiyonobu would also have been well-versed, as most major artists were at the time, in the styles of the Kanō and Tosa schools.

Career

Kiyonobu Torii focused almost exclusively on producing billboards and other promotional material for Edo's kabuki theaters. Guided by the need to attract attention, Kiyonobu's style tended towards bold, colorful exuberance. In addition to a distinctive use of color, details, and various other aesthetic elements, the Torii style is especially distinguished by the use of thick, bold line.

By 1700, Kiyonobu Torii was a fully established and accomplished artist. His works were praised by contemporary writers, and were often even placed in Shintō shrines as votive offerings, a fact which indicates something of the artistic quality or emotional impact of his depictions of Kabuki actors. By the time of his death in 1729, Kiyonobu had not only painted a great number of signboards and the like, but had also produced illustrations for woodblock printed books, depicting kabuki dramas, and had issued individual prints as well.

Works

More photos

• painting

  • Beauty in a Black Kimono

    1710

  • Courtesan painting a screen

  • painting

  • painting

  • painting

Connections

Father:

Torii Kiyomoto