Bell-Flower and Dragonfly, from an untitled series of large flowers

Bell-Flower and Dragonfly, from an untitled series of large flowers

Katsushika Hokusai

Details

Dimensions
26 × 37.5 cm (10 1/4 × 14 3/4 in.)
Origin
Japan
Department
Arts of Asia
Holding institution
Art Institute of Chicago
Image provider
art-institute-chicago
License
CC0-1.0
Credit
Clarence Buckingham Collection

Art Genome Taxonomy

9 tags

Subject Matter

  • Flora Both · 99%

    Flowering plants dominate the composition, and the catalog title identifies the subject as bell-flower.

  • Animals Both · 99%

    A clearly visible dragonfly appears near the upper center, and it is named in the catalog title.

Visual Qualities

  • Dense Composition Visual · 88%

    The floral stems and leaves form a substantially crowded mass across the lower and right portions of the sheet, while the upper area remains comparatively open.

  • Asymmetrical Visual · 96%

    The botanical forms extend in uneven groupings rather than being balanced around a central axis; the floral mass is concentrated toward the lower and right portions of the sheet.

  • Highly Detailed Visual · 96%

    Fine outlines and numerous small marks describe petals, leaf veins, buds, and the dragonfly’s body and wings.

Medium and Techniques

  • Prints Metadata · 99%

    The Art Institute of Chicago catalog classifies the object as a print and specifies a color woodblock print medium.

  • Woodcut and Linocut Metadata · 91%

    The catalog identifies the medium as a color woodblock print; woodcut-and-linocut is the closest available catalog technique category for a woodblock process.

Time Periods

  • 19th Century Art Metadata · 99%

    The catalog dates the print circa 1833/34, placing it in the nineteenth century.

Geographic Regions

  • Japanese Art Metadata · 99%

    The catalog gives Japan as the place of origin and identifies the style as Japanese culture or style.

Source & rights

Katsushika Hokusai. Bell-Flower and Dragonfly, from an untitled series of large flowers. The Art Institute of Chicago.