Kabuki Paintings

Various artworks inspired by famous kabuki plays.

”I consider these artworks to be my homage to the genre of ‘Yakusha-e’ which developed during the Edo Period. Artists would depict popular kabuki actors to boost their print sales, and kabuki actors would benefit from the popularity of the prints in an interesting symbiotic relationship. This curious genre seems to me to be an early precursor to ‘pop art’ and ‘commercial art’, even blurring the lines of what would now be considered ‘fan art.’ As kabuki actors are still admired like they were in the Edo Period, artists are still able to paint (and sometimes even collaborate with the actors themselves) as in the olden days. This to me is one of the fascinating ways that, despite Japan’s modernity, some things remain the same.” — JUURI