Takahashi Hiroaki Shotei - Nude Playing With Cat (1927)

• Title: Nude Playing With Cat
• Artist: Takahashi Hiroaki Shotei (1871-1945)
• Date: 1927
• Medium: Woodblock print (color print, shin-hanga)
• Dimensions: 44 x 27 cm
• Location: Multiple copies in multiple locations
• Photo credit: ds-omeka.haverford.edu/japanesemodernism/items/show/211

Takahashi Shotei's woodblock print "Nude Playing With Cat" is an elegant depiction of a naked woman sitting sideways and using a handkerchief to play with a kitten.

The deep red background echoes the red of the woman's lips, adding to the sensuality of the figure.

The woman's hair is loose and disorderly making the scene very intimate. The kitten's dark black color creates a symmetry with the woman's hair.