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nigao-e@Ž—ŠçŠG
KEY WORD :@art history / paintings
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1@Lit. face likeness pictures. Very often bust portraits or a likeness of the head. See *nise-e Ž—ŠG for portraits prior to the Edo period.

2@In *ukiyo-e •‚˘ŠG, a portrait of an actor *yakusha-e –đŽŇŠG in which the actor's distinguishing features are represented in such a way that he may be recognized by face alone. The term nigao-e is also sometimes applied to the pictures of beautiful women *bijinga ”ül‰ć, but generally these portrayals do not individualize the woman's feature and she is identified through symbolized clothing or other details. It is commonly thought that in the early period of the polychrome print *nishiki-e ‹ŃŠG in the 18c, Ippitsusai Bunchou ˆę•MÖ•ś’˛ (fl.c. 1765-92) and Katsukawa Shunshou ŸětÍ (1726-92) created a new style of actor portraits departing from the earlier stylized work of the *Toriiha ’š‹”h artists. This change paralleled an increasing trend in other areas of Japanese art toward incorporating the knowledge gained from direct study of people and things as they appear in life. These likeness prints of actors. Shunshou's followers Shunkou tD (1743-1812) and Shun'ei t‰p (1762-1819) took over this style, and at the end of 18c an even stronger emphasis on portraying the individual traits and peculiarities of actors prevailed. Nigao-e reached a new height in the work of Toushuusai Sharaku “ŒFÖŽĘŠy (fl.1794-5), who portrayed both the exterior features and personality of actors. Utagawa Toyokuni ‰Ěě–L‘ (1769-1825) gained popularity for his actor portraits with a certain amount of beautification and was dubbed Nigao-eshi Toyokuni Ž—ŠçŠGŽt–L‘ (from the preface to the TENGU-NO-TSUBUTE HANA-NO-EDOKKO “V‹çâI•@]ŒËŽq; 1793). Leadership in nigao-e then changed from the *Katsukawaha Ÿě”h to the *Utagawaha ‰Ěě”h, and Utagawa Kunisada ‰Ěě‘’ĺ (1786-1864). These and other Utagawaha artists produced many nigao-e actor prints until the end of the Edo period.
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