Two Beauties after the Bath

Torii Kiyonaga

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kiyonaga's artistic output was largely devoted to prints. This painting, one of the earliest o his twenty-nine known paintings, shows two women after their bath. The seated woman reads a book entitled Contemporary Fashion. With their hair in bow-curved side locks, popular during the 1780s, these women are themselves reflections of contemporary fashion. Their slightly angular faces and the relative shortness of the standing figure reflect Kiyonaga's early style. The open paper doors suggest the arrival of warm weather, and the space beyond the railed veranda imparts a feeling of airiness. Kiyonaga captures the texture and transparency of the robes, while the arm partially seen through the garment adds to the sensuousness of the scene.

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