Changes

One of Harunobu's other great innovations, enabled by the advent of the full-color print, was the use of colored backgrounds. While some other artists had previously included some color in the backgrounds of their prints, most used either totally blank backgrounds, or some limited description of an actual setting. Harunobu was among the first to fill backgrounds with solid color, and the first to fill a background with black, or a dark color, to represent night; night scenes had previously been, and would continue to be in the vast majority of works, denoted simply by the presence of the moon, lanterns, candles, and the like, without any darkened background.

One of Harunobu's other great innovations, enabled by the advent of the full-color print, was the use of colored backgrounds. While some other artists had previously included some color in the backgrounds of their prints, most used either totally blank backgrounds, or some limited description of an actual setting. Harunobu was among the first to fill backgrounds with solid color, and the first to fill a background with black, or a dark color, to represent night; night scenes had previously been, and would continue to be in the vast majority of works, denoted simply by the presence of the moon, lanterns, candles, and the like, without any darkened background.

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, and also a fair percentage of ''[[shunga]]'' (erotic prints), as most ''ukiyo-e'' artists did. He is known to have produced at least seven ''shunga'' volumes, alongside numerous single-sheet prints.<ref>"[http://shunga.honolulumuseum.org/index.php?page=1 The Arts of the Bedchamber: Japanese Shunga]." Exhibition Website. Honolulu Museum of Art, 2012.</ref> 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, 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.