Two Beauties on a Pier

With his extremely popular printings of the close-up portraits of beautiful women during the Kansei era (1789 - 1800), Utamaro established his original style of beauties. He also left quite a few outstanding paintings of beauties. This one, probably completed around 1798, depicts a geisha from Fukagawa district and her attendant waiting at a pier. The women’s postures, garment patterns and the background scenery express the mature expertise he had attained.