Changes

Harunobu died in 1770, only five years after introducing the ''nishiki-e'' print. However, in those last few years of his life, he produced over one thousand print designs, chiefly depictions of willowy young girls, but also a fair percentage of ''[[shunga]]'' (erotic prints), as most ''ukiyo-e'' artists did. He also produced a number of paintings, and pioneered the reintroduction of larger print sizes, the ''chûban'' size having dominated for a time.

Harunobu died in 1770, only five years after introducing the ''nishiki-e'' print. However, in those last few years of his life, he produced over one thousand print designs, chiefly depictions of willowy young girls, but also a fair percentage of ''[[shunga]]'' (erotic prints), as most ''ukiyo-e'' artists did. He also produced a number of paintings, and pioneered the reintroduction of larger print sizes, the ''chûban'' size having dominated for a time.

Though Harunobu was hardly the only artist to depict scenes from everyday life - as opposed to those from the [[kabuki]] theatre and pleasure quarters, fantasies removed from everyday life - ''ukiyo-e'' expert [[Richard Lane]] identifies him as influential in establishing and embracing the mode of depicting beauties from everyday life. A young girl by the name of [[Kasamori Osen]] appears in a great many of Harunobu's prints; not a courtesan herself, but merely a waitress or something to that effect, she epitomized for Harunobu the beauty that can be found in everyday life, outside of the pleasure quarters.

Though Harunobu was hardly the only artist to depict scenes from everyday life - as opposed to those from the [[kabuki]] theatre and pleasure quarters, fantasies removed from everyday life - ''ukiyo-e'' expert [[Richard Lane]] identifies him as influential in establishing and embracing the mode of depicting beauties from everyday life. A young girl by the name of [[Kasamori Osen]] appears in a great many of Harunobu's prints; not a courtesan herself, but merely a waitress, she epitomized for Harunobu the beauty that can be found in everyday life, outside of the pleasure quarters.

Lane summarizes Harunobu's vision as "idealistic but always focused on reality - the real as it should be but seldom is." Though Harunobu did produce quite a number of prints depicting courtesans and kabuki actors, his real focus was on the beauty to be found outside of those realms of fantasy, in the real world of everyday life.

Lane summarizes Harunobu's vision as "idealistic but always focused on reality - the real as it should be but seldom is." Though Harunobu did produce quite a number of prints depicting courtesans and kabuki actors, his real focus was on the beauty to be found outside of those realms of fantasy, in the real world of everyday life.