Parting of Lovers: Courtesan and Her Lover

Kitagawa Utamaro

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Unlike Harunobu's romantic parting scenes, Utamaro's focuses on the sensuality and eroticism of the lovers more directly. Utamaro portrays the courtesan half undressed, with her breast and thigh exposed. Her dress is rumpled at the cross of her thighs, adding even more of a sensual air to the scene. The man's elongated face, the courtesan's unkempt hair, and their pale skin enhance the erotic mood. The couple's seemingly fixed poses, emphasized by the way they look at and touch each other, makes it appear as if they are acting out a scene in a play.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art