The woman that we’re beholding in the printing has been seeking solitude in her sunroom in order to read a letter that clearly is of confidential substance. Some eloquent details present us with an unmarried young lady: in fact, she’s wearing the furisode, namely that long-sleeved kimono only adopted by younger girls; additionally, it is worth noting the presence of eyebrows, drawn on her face, which were removed as soon as one was getting married. Her lonely and willowy figure is finely clashed with the outline of the pine tree on her left side, while the reddish-leaved branch of a maple tells us that the scene takes place in autumn. The symbol of longevity and good fortune represented by the pine tree, which is evergreen, could tacitly indicate the pleasing content of that letter, perhaps bearing good news.
It is not accident that the author is prone to represent a slender and supple female form like that of a teenager: this preference meets the “ike” aesthetic guidelines complying rather with the representation of a wispy, almost spiritualized beauty than with a corpulent, matronly physicality. But since ike is also elegance of simplicity, then the coloring is reduced to a handful of key tones. Overall, the scene expresses intimacy, just like the person who seeks solitude.
It is impressive how this printing bears some resemblance to Vermeer’s painting, whose intimist features are retrieved by the scenic location representing a bright and cushioned home environment. The letter content remains unknown, but the presence of a map and an empty chair could together mean that the letter bears news of somebody who is faraway. It all plays out in the effect of light, coming from the window, that shapes and defines the volumes through a shadowy game. Even in this painting, as well as in the compared Japanese printing, the colors are elementary, thus only revolving around blue and ochre highlights, as it is the case for the reflections, on the wall, in the same bluish shade of the dress.
The main stylistic difference between the two artworks at hand depends on the fact that the Japanese one moves deliberately away from lighting and shadowing effects, other than from volumetric shaping, for all to come down to the essentiality of outlining. The form is reduced to elemental graphic signs, such as an oval for the face and a fancy curve for the body: briefly, the representation of the human figure turns out to be rather a sort of abstraction than an imitation of nature.
Suzuki Harunobu (1725? – 1770) has been one of the biggest interpreters of the ukiyo-e. Some experts claim that he was from Kyoto, perhaps a disciple of or at least influenced by Nishikawa Sukenobu, others that he was from Edo. This author is remembered for being one of the pioneers in using polychrome printing (currently referred to as nishiki-e, namely “brocade pictures”), instead of earlier implementations with only two or three colors. The available biographical profile is deficient, even though literary references in many of his works lead to suppose that he was coming from a cultured environment and frequenting circles of intellectuals. He adopted an elegant and sophisticated style in reproducing his recurring subjects, such as courtesans and young lovers, as well as everyday lives. According to some sources, the author under examination was the first one to represent scenarios in the snow or in the night.
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