Flirtateous from the series Ten Physiognomatic Aspects of Women

Created in the Edo Japanese period, this woodblock print is a part of a series that highlights the physiognomy of ten different women. The artist, Kitagawa Utamaro, was considered an innovator in the field of artistic prints; he was the one of the first to introduce half-length portraits.

In this series of prints, the close up female portraits capture the personalities of these women through subtle gestures and expressions, with each piece in the series representing something different. Flirtatious features a woman glancing askance with an exposed breast, representative of the passionate and flirting mood Utamaro attempts to depict. Additionally, the muted tan color palette, along with the right sloping diagonal line of the body position, draws the viewer’s attention to the facial expression and breasts.