As the title suggests, this work is a portrait of a woman and a cat. The woman appears to be in the middle of folding some dyed and patterned silk. This makes the piece appear somewhat domestic. She seems amused by her playful feline companion who's tangled in the fabric. The pink color scheme suggests softness and feminine charm. Perhaps the woman is also charmed by the cat's antics? It also suggests this portrait is sweet and adorable.
The work is a parody of a theme from what is known as the world's first novel, The Tale of Genji. The theme here is two bobtail cats pulling a curtain aside to reveal a princess. Although here, Kitagawa reproduces this with a seamstress and a playful kitten. However, one hardly even needs the cat to begin with. You can very much see through not only her parted robe, but the sheer fabric she is holding as well. Using lighter shades to make the appearance of a light fabric, this is a fine example of Utamaro's skill in printmaking.
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He was discovered early in life. He produced over 2,000 prints, many of which were his okubi-e or facial close ups. He also produced many erotic prints and was well known for his depictions of the Floating World and many slender beautiful women. He died two years after his arrest for painting the previous ruling Shogunate Toyotomi, offending the ruling family of the time the Tokugawa. After his death, his pupil Koikawa Shuncho, took on the name Kitagawa Utamaro and even married his widow. Until 1820, He even took on the printing business under Kitagawa's name and produced his own