Kitagawa Utamaro

Kitagawa Utamaro (c. 1753–1806) worked in Edo during the height of the ukiyo-e woodblock tradition, becoming one of its most celebrated designers. He is remembered above all for his bijin ōkubi-e, close-cropped, large-headed portraits of women that broke from earlier group scenes to isolate a single figure and dwell on subtle expression, gesture, and mood.