This Artist Was Obsessed With Cats
Utagawa Kuniyoshi: artist, ukiyo-e master, cat person.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi is one of the great Japanese masters of ukiyo-e, woodblock prints that grew especially popular during the Edo period (1603-1867). I’ve written about the art form more broadly, but in today’s video, I’d like to focus on Kuniyoshi and a subject matter near and dear to his heart. After all, Kuniyoshi is best known for his triptychs, warriors, and... cats?
Why was he so obsessed with cats, and how did his feline friends help him to evade censorship?
