English translation
AI-assisted English translation. The Japanese original remains authoritative.
Originally published: 9 April 2024.
Material from the Japanese website. Dates and references reflect the original publication.
Images of women in romantic painting
8 April 2024
Who is the leading painter of female eroticism in contemporary Western-style painting? The answer requires distinctions of category. The same was true in the age of ukiyo-e. The eroticism evoked takes many forms; an oiran idiom brings the professional world of the pleasure quarters to the fore.
Today, however, if we seek the ultimate in youth and beauty, the field narrows. Add the requirements of elegance and a romantic quality that also suggests a woman’s dangerous allure, and the works of 原恭子, introduced here, must come first.
I have long admired the artist’s refined character. Yet once she takes up her brush, these languid expressions conceal something as terrifying as an ominous venomous snake. I have reproduced close-ups this time because I want everyone to look at the eyes and the expressions of the lips. I must also draw attention to the peacock feathers surrounding the women and the threatening appearance of the venomous snakes baring their fangs. The creator is an elegant woman. That makes me feel all the more strongly the fearsome aspect of womanhood concealed within. Here the essence of the romantic dimension of living creatures’ sexuality reaches its height. These are extraordinary works.
Original source images
Select an image to open its source. Text within images remains in its original language.
Original wording, author credits, notes and source materials are preserved there.