John & Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art
Reno, Nevada
The Lilley Museum of Art is located on the main campus of the University of Nevada, Reno.
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Artist: Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese, b. 1835)
Born on June 30, 1835 in Japan, Toyohara Kunichika was known as a great artist and fine draughtsman and like other great Ukiyo-e artists, he was also known for re-inventing an artform at the point of its collapse. His artist name consists of the names of his two teachers, Utagawa Kunisada and Toyohara Chikanobu. The theatre was one of Kunichika's main interests for subject matter with most of his work involving actor portraits. 100 Roles of Ichikura Danjuro is one of his notable series based off a theatre performance. Although Kunichika was mainly interested in the theatre, some of his best work remains non-theatrical, such as 36 Good and Evil Beauties. Kunichika has become a very collectible artist, especially for major national collections. His reinvention of the theatre triptych in the 1890's as well as his early portrait series, such as Mirror of the Flowering of Manners and Customs, has made him especially unique. He is also remembered for his use of color and creative use of the aniline dyes that were new at the time later in his career. Kunichika died on July 1, 1900 in Tokyo, Japan.
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